


Constellations

by Narutos Mother (momhuey)



Category: Naruto
Genre: 4 time skips, Child of prophesy, Five Stages of Grief, Hokage Hyuuga Neji, Hokage Uzumaki Naruto, I've been told that I curse spectacularly, Life after a loved one's death, M/M, Main theme is family, Neji and Sasuke as old men, Powerful Uzumaki Naruto, Sage Naruto, Sage Sasuke, Sakura...some people have called it 'bashing', Sasuke building a clan, Sasuke comes home, The original male character at the very beginning goes away and never returns, Uchiha Massacre, Will update Tags when stories diverge., Written 4 years ago with 4 year old canon, peace on earth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-28
Updated: 2015-04-11
Packaged: 2018-02-19 02:38:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 38
Words: 100,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2371403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momhuey/pseuds/Narutos%20Mother
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This will actually become two stories. The first 14 chapters are a common beginning. After that, each story takes off in entirely different directions.  Why?  Good question.  </p><p>The first story is called 'All In' and is approx 82K words. It is an MA rated Naruto x Sasuke drama.</p><p>The second story is called 'Constellations' and is closer to 100K words. It is an MA rated Naruto x Sasuke drama that contains a major character death.</p><p>I have posted both stories here with the intention of posting simultaneously. NOTE: THE FIRST 14 CHAPTERS OF BOTH STORIES ARE IDENTICAL.</p><p>Some readers have suggested different ways of presenting these two stories; I prefer this one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Common

"What do I do now?" the blond teen asked quietly.

His dark haired companion swiped at the tears streaming down his face smearing soot across his cheek. "Go home."

The tears were not from either grief or joy, or even the wounds bleeding freely about his body, but from the acrid black smoke coming from the pyre before him.

He watched dispassionately as flames consumed the body of Orochimaru, his former teacher. Because, it wasn't as a show of respect, or even a fond wish to aid his sensei's journey into the afterlife that the young man had assembled the structure and ignited it with a Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu; he was buying time. This wouldn't keep Kabuto off his tail for long, but he'd take what he could get.

Because Uchiha Sasuke was going home.

This morning, Orochimaru had come to his room and explained that the time had come for Sasuke to cough up his body. Word had arrived that Akatsuki had assigned the other Uchiha prodigy the task of retrieving Kyuubi no Kitsune, the last remaining tailed demon. He had explained that this altered their timetable slightly and then added, as though it would please the teen, that Kabuto was out getting Sasuke's favorite foods, which would comprise an intimate little celebratory dinner.

And Sasuke's last meal.

The full breadth of Orochimaru's intentions had been revealed and it seemed that his and Sasuke's understanding of their agreement were somewhat at odds. Evidently, the Sannin had his own plans for the vessel and his demon and so, while he and Orochimaru were in agreement that Itachi was to be killed, it seemed there was a hidden clause. Yes, Sasuke's body would kill Itachi, but it was, evidently, also going to kill Naruto.

The youngest Uchiha wasn't one to second-guess himself, and, though not superstitious, he generally paid heed to the signs around him. It was a fact that he'd never been able to silence the voice in his head that whispered, "Naruto." Now, that inner voice seemed to be in harmony with the outside voices screaming, "Kyuubi." He took this as the sign to act.

Naruto, for many, had somehow become the center of the universe. Even Uchiha’s didn’t argue with the universe.

His, admittedly, surprising objection to his own death played no small part in his spontaneous decision to revisit the terms of their contract and rip his sensei's tongue out through his liver.

The battle had not been epic. Sasuke had suffered many wounds, several, he was sure, were now contaminated with poison, but either he really had learned much in the last three years, or the snake wasn't as good as he'd presented himself. Perhaps both.

"You're going to him?"

Sasuke looked sideways at his companion, but said nothing.

"I'll...uhm...miss you." The smaller boy ducked his head and reached up to rub the back of his neck.

As always, the small action caused a surge of affection to well up in Sasuke and his lip twitched. He turned fully, his gaze softening.

"No, you won't."

"Yes, I will." A blush crept across his face. "Mostly."

"Toshio, you like girls."

"I liked you, too." He looked up, his blue-eyed gaze earnest.

"You liked _something_." Sasuke smirked. "Go home." He ruffled the silky blond hair. "Take an apprenticeship with a smith, or a butcher. When you’re older, find a nice girl and make some babies. Forget the last three years ever happened."

"Sasuke, I won't forget you. I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you." He dropped his gaze, blushing at the admission.

Sasuke looked at Toshio. In the bright light of the morning sun, the similarities weren't as...familiar, stopping at the slender build, blond hair and blue eyes. At night, the features were close enough.

"You saved my life, too, Toshio." As always, the blond's blush charmed him and he relented, holding out his arms. The smaller teen threw himself into Sasuke's embrace.

Sasuke closed his eyes and nuzzled the top of the sunny blond head. "Be happy."

"What about your wounds," Toshio asked when he finally pulled away. "They look pretty bad."

"I'm fine. Here now, go find your mother and sister and take good care of them." He reached into his pack and pulled out a fist-sized bag that jangled quietly. "Keep an easterly heading, stay on the roads and don't talk to strangers. You should be home day after tomorrow."

Sasuke watched the slender boy's form get smaller in the distance, basking in the first rush of anticipation he'd felt in more than three years. Then he shouldered his pack, checked the location of the sun and started walking south.

He knew that if he wanted to see Naruto, he would have to go to him. Naruto had stopped coming after him in Sound a long time ago. Orochimaru, in his infinite wisdom, had put an astronomical price on the blond head, certain that, even if no one in Sound could actually capture the Jinchuuriki, the resulting ruckus would alert him and he could finish the job, naturally keeping the demon and the reward.

But for all his genius, Orochimaru didn't understand what motivated anyone but himself. Just as he didn't foresee Sasuke's own defection this very morning, he hadn’t imagined the bounty on Naruto would keep the boy from coming for Sasuke.

He was wrong and Sasuke had understood that fact the day he learned of his teacher's plan. Two years ago, he had actually felt the pain of grief as he looked at the stack of notices that would be placed around the village. He knew that Naruto's quest to retrieve him was over. He would never come to Sound again, and neither Orochimaru nor Kabuto ever understood why.

Naruto would know that if he stepped foot in Sound, every single person in the village, ninja and civilian alike, would be out to get the reward. He wouldn't concern himself over the ninja. The problem would be the civilians who didn't understand these things, and who would think they could take the blond with a few gardening tools and some rope.

Unless he was prepared to just hand himself over, Naruto would know that he might not be able to avoid hurting innocent farmers and shop keepers, perhaps desperate mothers and children.

Sasuke knew he wouldn't risk it and would stay away.

Still, he was honest enough with himself to admit that while he had an uncomfortable desire to rush to Konoha to protect Naruto from Akatsuki's campaign, the act was probably reckless. Naruto could call on the power of a demon; Sasuke would probably be an annoyance rather than a help.

But none of that mattered. He'd followed his heart his whole life, ignoring suggestions, advice, orders and even brute force. He wasn't inclined to stop now that his heart was pointed home.

____________________________________________________________________________

Three weeks of traveling and Sasuke was finally only two miles from Konoha.

He almost laughed at the irony that this was where the Leaf patrols would find his dead body. The fever from infected wounds, the toll of the slow acting poisons and Kabuto were conspiring to make this shade mottled glen his final stand.

He estimated that Kabuto was about fifteen minutes behind. Since his right leg was virtually useless and his chakra was nearly gone, he knew he'd never make it to the gates before having to confront the sinister medic.

Maybe he could somehow spend these last minutes leaving Naruto a message. He swayed on his feet and considered by what means he could tell Naruto…what? What did he want to say to his best, his only, friend here at the end?

The question ended up being moot, as he was forced to admit that he'd misjudged Kabuto's relative location. The snake's sidekick was standing fifty yards away. Evidently tired of the chase, Kabuto skipped any preliminary taunting or gloating and just charged forward. Sasuke closed his eyes and reached over his shoulder for his katana.

When he opened his eyes, ready for battle, he realized he couldn't see; Kabuto, and the rest of the forest in front of him, had disappeared behind…a set of shoulders?

His senses swamped his brain. That chakra, that laugh… _Naruto!_

"Kabuto, you old fuckface. I've been waiting a long time for this." He could tell that Naruto was grinning.

"Gladly, after I take care of Orochimaru's murderer." Kabuto looked pointedly over Naruto's shoulder.

"Well, now, that doesn't work for me." The broad shouldered teen tapped an imaginary watch on his wrist. "You know how it is; places to go, people to see..." He shrugged. "I can't reschedule."

Kabuto sighed. "Fine, have it your way." Then he charged forward.

The next few seconds were a blur for Sasuke as he found himself lifted and repositioned several feet away. When he regained his orientation, he realized that a Naruto clone had his arms wrapped around him and was keeping him away from the fight.

When he looked, Naruto was facing the opposite direction. A log impaled with a single shuriken lay behind him. He stood relaxed, holding eight kunai, four between the fingers of each hand, his grin taunting.

"Ooh, Wood Bunshin," Naruto mocked in an imitation of someone slow witted. "Where'd you learn such a neat trick?"

Then before the medic could even open his mouth to retort, the wind in the clearing kicked up. Sasuke watched as Kabuto, his arms flailing, came hurtling from his hiding place in the branches of a nearby tree. Naruto caught him with the kunai and swung the impaled shinobi to dangle within inches of his face.

"Hi." The smile on Naruto's face was terrifying.

"Bye." Sasuke watched tan shoulder muscles flex as the larger blond ripped his arms to each side, effectively shredding Kabuto's torso. The silver haired nin looked down at his own intestines, most of his body still hanging from the kunai in Naruto's left hand.

Naruto dropped the kunai from his other hand, made a fist and punched a hole through Kabuto's head. After dropping the whole mess, he made a disgusted face and swatted at the brain matter coating his fingers.

"Damn it. That was a new pair of gloves."

He then turned to Sasuke and dispelled the clone holding him.

"That may not…" Sasuke stumbled toward Kabuto's corpse, his katana dragging a furrow behind him. "He might still…" He didn't think Kabuto could recover from having his brain pulverized, but wasn't willing to risk it.

"I've got it." Naruto then looked to the sky and closed his eyes.

After a several moments, Sasuke heard a sound similar to when he called up Chidori; birds, lots of them. His eyes widened as hundreds of ravens descended into the clearing and immediately crowded around the warm body. The deathly pale teen dropped to his knees and retched as Kabuto's corpse disappeared, some immediately, some to be carried away, dangling out of bloody beaks and claws.

"Oh, sorry." Naruto was at Sasuke's side, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. "Hey, you're burning up. I thought I smelled infection. That's what brought me this direction to begin with."

It took almost all of Sasuke's remaining strength, but he looked over at the male whom he had nearly killed himself to come and see, the male who had just saved his life. He lifted a hand and almost made it to a whiskered cheek, before he pitched face first into a warm chest.


	2. Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change...promise!

"Sasuke, I need you to wake up for just one minute."

Sasuke struggled to fetch his brain from far away as the syllables of his name began to poke through the murk in his head.

"Sasuke, please wake up for just a minute. I don't want to take you to Konoha unless it's okay with you."

"Nar…?" he croaked.

"Oh, thank you gods." As his torso was squeezed, he realized he was semi-upright, held by strong arms against a warm, hard chest.

"Listen, I've done what I can, but I'm no medic." Sasuke felt thick fingers caressing his brow, carding through his hair. "I think the infections are gone, but I can't do anything with the poison. It's been about two hours and I don't want to wait any longer."

As he was squeezed again, he let himself sink into the warmth surrounding him. Another human hadn't held him protectively, gently in so many years. Since…since this very same blond had held him in Haku's mirrors. Lured by the warm safety of the here and now, he turned his head and nuzzled the broad pec against his cheek. He sighed tiredly as his head was cradled closer.

'Where are we?" His voice sounded like he was gargling gravel.

"A cave near Forest of Death. Konoha's closest; I can have you there in two minutes. If I asked him, Gaara would probably heal you and then let you leave, but it's pretty far to Suna.” He was hitched closer until he could feel Naruto’s cheek brush his. “Sas, I…I don't know if you'd make the trip, so unless you know of someplace with a doctor that I don't…,” he sighed shakily. “Look, if I promise to help you leave later, can I please take you to Konoha?”

Sasuke's sluggishly beating heart almost stopped. "You don't want me in Konoha?"

Naruto pulled back and gave Sasuke a horrified look, then he buried his head in Sasuke's neck and whispered, "Sasuke…don’t ever…"

"Take me home, Dobe," Sasuke said weakly. "To Konoha."

The shudders increased and he felt the warm slide of Naruto's tears down his neck.

Tsunade looked through the window into Sasuke's room. This morning Naruto was sitting in the chair by his bed. She had watched for the last forty-eight hours as Sakura or Naruto and occasionally both, sat waiting anxiously for their ex-teammate's recovery.

She had thought much about them since Naruto had shown up in her office holding Sasuke's nearly dead body two days ago. It was like looking back through time to her own Team 7. The personalities, histories, the roads they were on, were so much the same. It would be so easy for their ending to be the same. The thought sickened her. There was so much potential for so much more. The very future of Konoha, perhaps humanity, could reside in these three sets of calloused hands.

Like most ninja, they all had some dysfunction. Even Naruto, who on the surface seemed the most emotionally stable would be a challenge in the rebuilding of their old kinship. Not that they all didn't have the same capacity for love, but he was dealing with a complete unknown. He would fear that if he opened his heart to them completely, they would be the ones who could break him for good.

She had seen the same thing in Jiraiya. He was the most open of the three and when push had finally come to shove, he'd bolted, numbing his pain with distance and alcohol.

But as she considered the arrival of Sasuke back in Konoha and wondered at his motive, she thought maybe things could be different for this group of young people.

Perhaps Sasuke's life did not have to spiral deeper and deeper into a black pit of grief-induced madness and empty quests for meaning only to find death at the hands of a comrade.

Perhaps Naruto didn't have to leave home more and more often, rootless, wandering, running, and choosing missions over the emptiness of his apartment, only to die alone a thousand miles from the very few who would care.

And perhaps Sakura didn't have to end up alone, grieving for what might have been and living with regrets that she hadn’t done more to see her comrades, her dearest friends with happier endings.

She wondered if perhaps, she could help build, or rebuild bonds between the three young people.

Sasuke woke gradually. When his mind was clear enough, he cast his senses about and immediately felt Naruto's chakra. He opened his eyes, but when he looked he realized he was alone in a hospital room.

"Dobe?" His voice was a weak rasp.

The door to his room slid open slowly and Naruto stood just outside the threshold. Sasuke could feel his old teammate's anxiety but decided his own anxiety was worse. He was back in Konoha, alone and incapacitated. He envisioned himself as carrion in a clattering of jackdaws. He had preferred to come into Konoha in a stronger position on his own two feet, but instead he was on his back, vulnerable to the entire citizenry, ninja and civilian alike.

The only person he trusted, felt safe with was Naruto…the same Naruto who was hiding behind the door.

Sasuke waved his hand impatiently and Naruto took a couple steps into the room. He looked around and then picked up a glass of water.

"Is this was you want?"

Reaching the end of his first bout of consciousness, Sasuke shook his head in aggravation and waved his hand again. Naruto finally closed the distance to the bed and Sasuke grabbed his hand and pulled it to his chest.

"Stay." Then his head lolled and he fell back into unconsciousness.

The next time Sasuke woke, it was to a soft snoring. Naruto was asleep, his forehead pressed to the mattress while his hand still rested on Sasuke's chest. He must have sensed Sasuke rousing because he sat up.

He tried to pull his hand away, but Sasuke didn't let go. The two just looked at each other several long moments and Sasuke could almost smell Naruto's fear.

"You're afraid of me."

"I…" Naruto looked away. "Why did you come back?"

"For you." Naruto's expression closed off and he stood, pulling his hand free.

"Why are you running from me?" Sasuke asked, starting to feel tired again.

"Wait," Sasuke said when Naruto shuffled a few inches away.

"Don't leave. Don't keep running from me. Please. Stay while I sleep. Be here when I wake up."

When he fell asleep again, Naruto was still rooted to that same spot in the middle of his room.

The next day, after the poisons had been completely removed from his system and his wounds were almost healed, Sasuke woke once again feeling more human than he had in weeks.

Naruto was in his room again, but stood against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Sasuke watched him glance over, take a deep breath and then come over to his bed. He was surprised when Naruto sat on the edge and leaned close.

"Tsunade will probably release you from the hospital tomorrow or the next day," he whispered, looking toward the door a couple of times.

Naruto rubbed his finger over a fold in the blanket, not looking at Sasuke. "Do you remember the cave?"

Sasuke thought a moment. "Some, I guess."

"Look, if you want me to get you out of Konoha, tell me now and I'll figure something out."

"What do you think will happen to me if I stay?"

Naruto's shoulders sagged. "I don't know."

"Do you care?"

"Sasuke," he gasped, his eyes wide. Then his face closed off again. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Sasuke pushed himself higher on his pillows. "I'm not leaving."

Naruto's face filled with anxiety.

"I'm not running away again." Sasuke held his hand still so that Naruto wouldn't realize that he was squeezing it between his larger ones. "Anyway, I have nowhere else to go. It's home or nothing."

'I won't let anything happen to you," Naruto repeated firmly. Then he cleared his throat and stood, moving back to his position against the wall.

It occurred to Sasuke that Naruto was standing guard. He instinctively knew that someone would have to kill Naruto to get to him.

He suddenly felt safer than he could ever remember feeling and was lightheaded with relief. In this little room he could sleep, could rest completely free from worries about enemies. He drifted toward asleep again, feeling an unfamiliar bubble of something in his chest. As his mind shut down, it came to him that this strange feeling might just be happiness.

Two ninja stood at the end of Sasuke's hospital bed while he was seated in a chair near the window, waiting for Sakura to finish his final examination. When she was finished Sakura pulled Sasuke’s sleeve back over his arm and nodded at the Hokage.

"Okay then,” Tsunade said while flipping through several sheets of paper on a clipboard. "Hyuuga, Naruto will be assigned to protect the Uchiha for the foreseeable future, but since Wave Country won't accept anyone but him for their mission, he won't be able to start until he gets back in two weeks. Until then, if you can spare one Anbu a night to guard him, I'll have Sakura stay with him during the day. She can watch out for him and see to the remainder of his recovery at the same time."

"Hokage-sama." The Anbu captain inclined his head. "Your phrasing indicates that you’re more concerned with defending him than defending the village from him. Certainly my men will be prepared for any contingency, but, if you are at liberty, it would be helpful if I understood the full parameters of the assignment."

"Uchiha Sasuke is a citizen of Konoha, not a prisoner," she said into the silence. "Since he was a Genin when he left and is still, technically, a Genin, he does not have a military obligation to Konoha and is not considered AWOL. Therefore, as with all of our citizens, his departure was always his decision to make and he is welcome to leave again, if he chooses. However, while I believe I understand his reasons for leaving, I will be very interested in the reason behind this sudden return.

"Uchiha, no one believes that you had any role in Sandaime's death, or in any part of the attack on Konoha." She was looking at Sasuke now. "You’ve committed no crime that I know of, although Ibiki will have many questions for you."

She folded the clipboard over her ample chest. "But there are those who would see it as a punishable offense to consort with the attacker, even after the fact. Fortunately for you there is nothing in our scrolls classifying bad judgment as a crime."

Sasuke couldn't help it. It burst out of his mouth with absolutely no permission from his brain. "What about the Valley of the End?"

She eyed him for several moments. The room was completely still except for Naruto, who was stalking a fly with two paper cups.

"If it was a crime for our Genin to try to beat each other to pulps, every last one would grow up in prison.

"Putting all of that aside, the Uchiha name isn’t what it once was." She watched the brunette for a reaction; there was none. "There are those who judge him on the actions of his brother, and will never accept an Uchiha back in Konoha. Of course, they have no say in the matter, but that will probably not stop them from trying to take it into their own hands."

Most of Team 7 was frozen like statues. Tears were sliding down Sakura's face and Sasuke was gripping the armrests of his chair until his knuckles were bloodless. Naruto was engrossed in a full color, three-page fold out ad for fertilizer.

"So, you," she said pointing at Sasuke, "will be released from here tomorrow, and will be escorted to my office, where we will talk. We’ll need to discuss the council's decisions, the Uchiha assets, reparations, and you would do well to start remembering everything you can about the last three years plus any intelligence, or even rumors, about Itachi's whereabouts. Also, we'll need to make some decisions about the cursed seal. I expect three days. Unfortunately, none of this is official until the Council says it is, so for the next three days and nights, you'll be staying in Konoha Prison."

Sasuke didn't even blink, but the outbreak from Sakura was instantaneous.

"Quiet!" Tsunade shouted.

"Huh?" Naruto looked up from 'Quilting for Fun and Profit.' Since he was facing the door, the honey-eyed blond was the only one who had seen all the blood drain from his face at the mention of prison. "Naruto, if you need to leave now, you can go and we'll…"

"Naw, that's okay, Grandma. I'm sorry. I'll pay attention." He grinned and Tsunade nodded, a gentle look on her face.

"As I was saying, after that time, you can move into permanent or semi-permanent accommodations. You’re welcome to return to the Uchiha district, or if you prefer, an apartment in town can be found. Neji, your men will begin rotations on the fourth night from tonight, Sakura, you will begin on the fourth day.

"Brat." She turned to Naruto, her face and voice softening. "You're off to Wave tomorrow. You can escort Sasuke to my office before you leave. Stay safe and see you in two weeks."

He nodded, and waltzed out the door, his grin unchanged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.


	3. Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So far Constellations and All In are the same. Chapter 3 in both stories are identical. At Chapter 15 they become completely different stories.

Sakura was so happy. Sasuke was back. Her heart was a lump in her throat and tears had been just below the surface from the moment she had sensed his chakra five days ago.

Kami, but he had grown so handsome. As Tsunade's protégé, she had been present for almost all of Sasuke's treatment. Even lying in a hospital bed, the grace and power that radiated off him made her womb flutter in an unfamiliar female reaction.

She absolutely could not believe her luck in being assigned as his daytime guard, even if it was for only ten days. Though Tsunade advised the pink haired medic that she was the best choice because of their history as teammates and because Sasuke was so recently out of the hospital, she just knew that the fates were trying to tell her something.

Certainly she had told Tsunade-shishou that she would guard Sasuke round the clock, but her teacher had declined reminding her that she had to sleep sometime. Unbidden images of sleeping next to Sasuke in his bed filled her mind.

But Sakura had a plan, or at least a general idea and two weeks in which to accomplish it. Her goal was to have Sasuke request that she remain as his guard even after Naruto's return. She thought that Tsunade was fond enough of her to agree to the change if she understood that Sakura's entire future happiness depended on the agreement.

So she thought hard about what kind of woman would appeal to the pale Adonis. Knowing what she did about his distant cousins, the Hyuugas, she thought maybe they preferred feminine, domestic females. Armed with this insight, she determined to make Sasuke's old house a home. She tried to show her sensitive side and chose the building that would contain the most memories, and then dragged over enough stuff to begin a small-scale restoration.

Sakura wasn't stupid, she knew that the house had bad memories, but she knew it also had good memories. She was sure that if she scoured away the age and created a mix of precious family items and new furnishings, she could create a new set of memories that would erase the old.

But that wasn't the entire plan. Sasuke was a man now, with basic male urges and needs. A steady stream of reminders of her femininity would surely wear at him like a glacier on granite.

With all of that in mind, she had carted over everything she would need to keep his home clean, cook all of his meals…and stimulate his libido.

Naruto was a nervous wreck, although very few people would've have known it from the casual image he portrayed slouched against the wall outside Konoha General, Room 309.

The last three days had been three of the worst in his life. While not fretting about Sasuke's recovery, he was a basket case trying not to think too much about his return.

What did the bastard mean when he said he'd come back for Naruto? Did he come back just to try to kill Naruto again? What if he only came here because he knew that this was probably Itachi's next destination? Naruto knew that if he wasn’t careful, and resolute, his heart was in serious danger of being destroyed once and for all.

He wiped the sweat off his palms once again, just as the door slid open and the brunette in question strode out, hands in his pockets. He walked right up to the blond and stopped just a shade inside his personal space.

"You're leaving soon?"

"Yeah, off to Wave. Gonna stay with Inari and Tazuna. Remember them?" His voice was loud, his grin wide.

Sasuke watched with interest as Naruto looked at everyone and everything but him. He wondered what the blond was thinking. Did he think Sasuke was here to kill him? To use him as bait? He gave in to an urge to reassure his old teammate.

"Naruto." He waited until Naruto finally looked at him and then he bowed. "You saved my life."

The blond was taken aback for only a second, and then smiled widely. "Naw, I'm sure you'd've been fine." He ducked his head then looked back up. "I gotta tell you, though; I'd been wantin' to take a run at that fucker for a long time." Sasuke nodded.

"So, wind element?" Sasuke tipped his head. "And what was with the ravens?"

"Oh, yeah, new training. The toads've taught me how to draw on nature." He shrugged and blushed.

"I can feel that your chakra is different, stronger." Sasuke took a step closer, reached up and pinched Naruto’s bicep. "You’ve come through puberty nicely."

Naruto's mouth opened and closed a couple of times. Then a bark of laughter escaped him and he punched Sasuke in the shoulder.

"Dickhead," he chuckled. "C'mon, let's go."

"So, Sakura's staying with you during the day? She's a Jounin now, ya know?" He waved his arm in a broad arc, his tone cheerful and bright. "Not sure why she didn't come today. She said something about having lots to do for this mission." He scratched his head. "Can't imagine what though since she's not leaving town and it's only the day shift."

"Maybe it's part of my punishment." Sasuke kicked a stone sullenly. "Is it too late to request being stretched on a rack or pressed under a wheel?"

Naruto guffawed loudly. "You grew a sense of humor, you bastard."

"You only think that because you think I'm joking." Naruto laughed again, slapping Sasuke on the shoulder.

The dark eyed teen examined his companion from the corner of his eye. Gods be damned, but Naruto looked good. While Toshio had reminded Sasuke of Naruto's adolescent years, this ripped, tan head-turner screamed testosterone. He'd gotten broader, thicker than Sasuke; his shoulders were wide and the hands and forearms hanging out of his sleeves were large and muscular. Tattoos of what appeared to be flames slithered up from his left wrist and disappeared under his shirt sleeve. With his shaggy hair hanging just passed his shoulders, he had a dangerous, rangy look that did funny things to Sasuke's stomach.

"So anyway, asshole, how's it hanging these days?"

Sasuke considered a number of responses but, satisfied with the mood the blond had established, settled on the standard, "To the left."

"Me too. Must be the weather."

"For Kami’s sake, you two haven't seen each other in three years and your first conversation is about your dicks?" Sakura's voice came from behind the two teens.

"Hey, Sakura-chan." Naruto scratched his cheek. “That’s vital information." He reached out and pulled a large piece of fuzz from her bangs. "And anyway, it's better than the last time. Something like 'Die mother fucker'?" Sasuke flinched.

"So, you all done now? Wanna walk with us? The bastard and I were just catching up." Naruto threw his arm over Sasuke's shoulder and Team Seven continued down the road together.

"Seriously you slippery prick," he started, steering them down the road. "You have to tell me what the fuck you've been up to." Before Sasuke could even open his mouth, Naruto continued. "Kabuto said you killed that greasy cock sucker. I don't think anyone in the whole fucking world will miss that son of a bitch."

"You've developed quite a...verbal repertoire," Sasuke said.

"Huh?"

"You cuss like a Hunter nin."

"Oh, yeah. Probably from spending so much time with them. Foul mouthed pieces of shit, aren't they Sakura-chan?" Before she could say a word, he continued, gesticulating broadly with his free arm.

"Toad Sage said the same thing to me. Just those words; 'Naruto, you cuss like a Hunter nin.' So I said to him, 'Fukusaku you.' Took me a week to recover from the beating he gave me. 'Course it wouldn't have taken that long if," his poked his stomach and yelled at his belly button, "A CERTAIN FURRY PARASITE HADN'T DECIDED TO BE A BITCH." He waved his arm wide. "Kyuubi decided not to help heal me. Said even he wasn't stupid enough to tell a sage to fuck off..."

Sasuke had wondered how this first coherent meeting with Naruto would go. He envisioned a lot of scenarios, all of them fraught with tension.

"…so I told the stupid furball to suck my left nut..."

But he should have known that Naruto would have none of that, pushing aside for later something that would be best dealt with over time. It wasn't a reunion with any depth, but Naruto was meeting him halfway.

"…let me tell you, Sas, be careful what you wish for. He sucked my left nut all right. Right up into my fucking pelvis…"

So as he walked along, Naruto's arm comfortably over his shoulder, he hid a smile and listened to the blond fill the spaces, and to some extent, the missing years with comfortable chatter.

"…had me screaming like a girl, no offense, Sakura-chan, for almost an hour."

And he was grateful.

Once Naruto, amidst much neck rubbing and foot shuffling, dropped him awkwardly at the door to the Hokage's office, Sasuke was immediately directed inside. Before the Godaime could raise her head in acknowledgement, Sasuke slid to his knees, inclining his head in a demonstration of submission.

"Uchiha Sasuke," the blond woman's strong voice carried to the kneeling ninja. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He arose slowly. "Hokage-sama, I wish to return home. I have news and information. And I wish to, once again, be of service to the home of my childhood, of my f…family." He was surprised to hear his voice falter.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow and studied the dark haired teenager. She stood, came around her desk and leaned back against the giant piece of furniture.

While he kept his eyes pointedly lowered, the buxom blond circled him, her eyes narrowed.

Sasuke was well familiar with Tsunade's status as one of the legendary Sannin and kept his body still as she strode to within a few feet of him. Although they were alone in the room, he was hyper aware of the intense focus of what must have been twenty ninja ranging from Chunin to Tsunade's renowned Niju Shotai and knew that if his Sharingan so much as flickered, he'd be dead before his body hit the carpet.

"So, you want to come home." She stopped in front of him. "Be advised that I am already aware of the events of three weeks ago." A flicker of sadness crossed her face and was gone.

Sasuke winced. "Yes ma'am." He bowed his head further. "I regret if my actions have caused you grief."

"Hmm." She eyed him speculatively. "Well, let's not stand here boring Konoha's finest. Come on, brat. We have lots to talk about." She grabbed his elbow and jerked him into a brisk stride across the room.

" _You_ have lots to talk about."

The next three days were taxing for Sasuke, but no more than he'd endured most of the last three years. His cell in Konoha prison, which comprised four walls, a bed and a commode, was no worse than his room at the lair in Sound. Even the constant barrage of staring, insults and threats was a common occurrence for Orochimaru's next body and was something he had learned to sort into harmless or harmful and then ignore as needed.

He'd been surprised by Tsunade. As she had been a comrade of Orochimaru, he hadn't expected her openness to listen, and believe, everything he had said in the many hours of interrogation. He had been sincere and honest in his answers, telling Tsunade and Ibiki Morino everything he could remember, from his first meeting with Orochimaru at the Chunin exams to the Sannin's death. He gave coordinates, names, and dates. He told them every strategic and mundane thing his Sharingan had helped him to retain.

Intuitively knowing that it was in his best interest if he hoped to regain his home and status, perhaps even keep his life, he had even reached deeper inside at the Hokage's counsel, and shared his reasons. It was not as difficult as he had imagined telling the honey-eyed woman that most of his motivations were based on his, admittedly, confusing feelings for Naruto.

"You know he is terrified that you're here to use him as bait to finally fulfill your vow to your clan." Her eyes narrowed. "If I hadn't assigned him the mission to guard you, he would have leapt at the next long term mission and we might not have ever seen him again."

"I won't let Itachi hurt him."

"Ha! As if." She studied her nails. "That's not what he's afraid of." She crossed her arms on the veneer and leaned forward. "Whether you're here to kill him, use him as bait or offer to have his babies, he's never going to be the same. We've trained him to be the best a ninja can be. He is independent and can kill with efficiency and detachment. For us he is solid as a mountain, as fearless as the demon inside him. For you, he's as fragile as bunshin.

"No one in this world has more power to hurt him than you do." She stretched her arms and cracked her knuckles. "And no one cares about him more than I do."

"I…" he whispered, his brows furrowed.”He's always been…" He hitched a shoulder. "He's the reason I'm here."

She merely smirked at him and said, "Welcome to the club."

"Tell me." Tsunade and Ibiki Morino sat across from each other in an interrogation room.

Ibiki flipped through several sheets of paper for a moment.

"He has no plans and no real goals. He's not a deliberate threat to Konoha security."

"Ok. Why is he here?"

"He's here for Naruto."

Tsunade nodded. Sasuke had already told her that. "Why?"

Ibiki ran his finger down a page. "He loves him."

Ibiki looked up as the room became quiet. He added, his face revealing nothing, "Romantically."

She blinked. "They haven't seen each other in years." She glanced at him sharply. "Have they?"

"No, not directly, but there have been factors that have kept Naruto at the forefront of Sasuke's consciousness."

"Such as?"

"Shortly after Sasuke arrived in Sound, Orochimaru gave him his own personal servant. Sasuke thinks Orochimaru did it to keep him off balance, maybe sharpen his anger and hatred.

"But this servant," Ibiki said squinting at the page before him, "Toshio, had the opposite effect on Sasuke."

"He explained that," Ibiki continued as though reciting, "every time he looked at the boy's blond hair and blue eyes, his anger cooled a little more. Every time the two were together, he was reminded of things he'd left behind, things that he considered good, friendship, acceptance, loyalty." He looked back at Tsunade. "Things that Naruto gave him.

"Even though he'd never been outside of Sound, the servant became an anchor to Konoha and to Naruto."

Tsunade was rubbing her forehead in agitation.

"Without that blond hair and blue eyes in his life every day," Ibiki cleared his throat, then added, "and night, he probably would have let Orochimaru have his body at the end of the three years."

"Did Sasuke love him?"

Ibiki looked thoughtful. "In a way."

"Where is Toshio now?"

"Sasuke sent him home."

"This is dangerous," she said, rubbing her forehead again. "More dangerous than if he'd come here leading an army."

"Yes, that's what I meant by deliberate," Ibiki agreed. "It's certain that Naruto's emotional health and Konoha's security are intricately linked."

"Alright," Tsunade sighed, made several notes on a scroll and then looked once again at Konoha’s inquisitor, "what about Sasuke's quest for revenge?"

"It's over."

"Really?" Tsunade raised her brow. "But Itachi's still alive."

"Sasuke's matured," Ibiki said. "His need for revenge transformed into a need for justice." She looked at him impassively and he asked, "Do you see the difference?"

"Explain it to me."

"Revenge is one sided. It was all about Sasuke's pain and anger; his needs." Ibiki smoothed the pages in front of him. "Justice is multi-sided; it encompasses the victims and the perpetrators.

"When he realized that, he started to have doubts. He began asking himself, 'why.' Sasuke realized he'd convicted and set himself up as executioner for his brother, without having given him a trial."

"Really? That is very mature."

"He's had a hard life," Ibiki said and added, uncharacteristically, "It can make a boy grow up quickly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.


	4. Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change...promise!

When all was said and done, Sasuke wondered if the council wasn’t still more enamored of the Uchiha name than the Godaime had indicated. He felt the consequences for his actions were light.

He was confined to the Konoha for six months and was to begin making amends to the citizenry by performing D-ranked missions. Tsunade had added her own twist by insisting that the mission fees be donated to Naruto's favorite charity; the orphanage. Thankfully this was no hardship as his family's considerable resources, including those of every aunt, uncle, cousin and grandparent, were untouched and waiting for him.

He was allowed to train and was even permitted to test for Chunin, Jounin and then Anbu when he thought he was ready. If he wanted it, a job was waiting for him at the end of the confinement.

It seemed to him the hardest part of his penalty was the upcoming days in Sakura's custody.

++

Sakura dusted her hands off and looked around at her handy work.

Sasuke was due to be dropped off in just a few hours and the rooms of his house were spotless. There was not a smudge or piece of dust anywhere and the floors gleamed. A meal was cooking in the kitchen and the main rooms smelled heavenly. Several of the surfaces had artistically haphazard displays of Sakura's hairbrush, bottles of lotion, a small handbag, and a dainty pair of fingerless gloves.

She worried that she wasn't discreet enough in the bedroom and bath. Yes, they smelled like the fragrance she always wore, and her clothes were folded in neat piles in both rooms, but she fretted over leaving some of her lacier things on the tops of the piles. Better to weave a subtle web with gossamer threads then throw a net.

Sasuke was smart and he would bolt if he smelled a trap.

++

Sasuke smelled a trap before he passed the dilapidated gate of the Uchiha district. He saw the lights on in his old house as he entered the compound and already he could smell a myriad of odors; food, perfume, cleaning chemicals.

He ground his teeth when he heard one of the Anbu escorts snickering.

The scroll he had from the Hokage and the council explained that he was free to return to one of the buildings within the Uchiha boundaries, or, if he chose, an apartment away from the peeling paint, overgrown vegetation and bloodstained walls of the abandoned neighborhood. He was still undecided about that, the unease skittering down his spine at odds with the need to explore his roots.

Now, after arriving at the compound, he'd been supremely annoyed to find that Sakura had taken it upon herself to choose for him. His family's home? Of all his options for living quarters, his own home had less appeal than a box in an alley. As he stepped across the threshold into the main living area, he imagined he could still smell the blood of his parents.

Finding his cool center, he reminded himself that he only had to accommodate Sakura for less than two weeks. If he could live with Sound ninja for three years, he could live with the pink haired Jounin for ten days.

Anyway, he could use the time to sort through his resources, and his emotions, and determine the location that would suit him best. Then he could settle in and bid Sakura farewell in one decisive move.

His resolve firming, he removed his shoes. He could do this. After all, it would be two weeks of clean quarters, good food and hot running water. And he could just explain the situation to his old teammate. She was an adult now and would accept how things were.

"Sakura, I'm here."

++

The days with Sakura turned out to be more stressful than Sasuke had anticipated. She was always there, insisting on pitching in as Sasuke sorted through the other buildings and the surrounding gardens.

He would have preferred privacy while he dealt with the emotions bombarding him as he reacquainted himself with the streets and buildings of his childhood home. He didn't want to share his turmoil and grief as mundane household items triggered bittersweet memories, or as ghostly images and sounds filled his mind as he turned down one lane after another. But when he broached the subject she would just squeeze his arm and argue that, since she had to be there anyway, she might as well be useful.

They ate every meal together and after the first couple of hours she began filling the silence with a steady stream of something Sasuke couldn't identify because he was ignoring it.

Occasionally after she left for the day, he imagined he still felt her presence as he showered and readied himself for bed, but since she had become so much stronger, and because he knew that the premises were filled with her belongings, he chalked it up to chakra residue. He almost believed it.

The most alarming thing was the sheer quantity of Sakura's things that were now in his house. Since her logic was mostly sound, he bit his tongue at the piles of her clothing; the need for spare clothes was not totally unforeseen. The kitchen tools and bag of books, as well, seemed, on the surface, harmless enough. The basket of her sleepwear however had him waffling between blunt explanations of their status and the desire to toss the things right out the front door into the road.

Instead he would just look at her several times a day and ask, "Sakura, you know we're friends, right?"

The soulful looks she would give him when she nodded made him question whether she was getting the message.

But he hesitated to push harder. Acutely aware of his standing in the community, and Sakura's standing as the Hokage's protégé, he said nothing more, opting to just subtly deal with her frequent excursions into his personal space for the few days remaining.

While she kept her distance for his community service missions, after the first couple of days, she took to scheduling his free time. Since it hadn't been forbidden, she used an inspired bit of insight and suggested sparring. It left both of them frustrated. She couldn't begin to compete with him and he bored quickly. The encounters digressed into nothing more than attempts by her to put her hands on him and he would stalk out of the training grounds leaving her to follow.

Her next effort revolved around socializing. Sasuke needed to make friends again, she advised, as if she thought he had ever made friends before. He found himself sitting at one gathering after another, suffering through gossip and an increasing encroachment by the konoichi into his bodily territory. It had become a full time job removing her hand from one body part or another.

Not that he would have chosen to stop these trips out into the public, though. This was much better than the sparring because, in spite of the nuisance Sakura was, invariably the conversations would gravitate to the one topic about which he yearned to hear; Naruto. If he really was, at heart, antisocial and hated these gatherings, he wouldn't give up the access to information on the blond.

So he went along with Sakura to one tea after another, spending his time daydreaming about real training until three syllables would catch his attention.

Through his eavesdropping, Sasuke learned astonishing things about the blond. Son of the Yondaime? Kami! Now that it was pointed out to him, the resemblance between his friend and the photo he recalled from Kakashi's living room was clear. But the Yellow Flash? Naruto's pedigree was more impressive than his own.

From other bits of conversation, Sasuke figured out that, after his lineage was finally made public, Tsunade had seen to it that Naruto received any inheritance due him. It turned out to be substantial. Naruto's assets rivaled his own.

He learned that Naruto had lost his teacher, Jiraiya, another Sannin and comrade of Orochimaru, to Akatsuki and had just finished training with someone named Fukusaku. His jaw dropped open when he learned that Fukusaku was master of the sage arts. How far had Naruto come? Was Naruto actually a Sage now?

"Naruto kicked your butt so bad, you wished you were born buttless." Kiba slapped the tabletop and threw his head back in gales of laughter at his own joke.

If one looked carefully, a slight narrowing of eyes was Neji's only response.

'C'mon, admit it. It's not like he hasn't creamed all of us." He leaned forward and grinned. "Hell, he handed me, Shino and Hinata all our asses at once during the festival games this past spring, and he never even took his hands out of his pockets."

He shook his head. "God damned sage training. Who the hell ever thought chakra could be solid?'

"His chakra wasn't solid," Neji replied in his quiet voice. "That was merely the heated air created by his chakra, combined with water vapor and the cooler air of…"

"Pft. Whatever, ice prick," Kiba interrupted waving his hand negligently. "All I know is that with him around, nobody is ever gonna take Konoha. What a weapon," he finished with a wistful tone.

Neji's response was to turn away from Kiba's side of the table in dismissal. When he did so, he came face to face with Sasuke and his avid look.

"Something of interest to you, Uchiha?"

Sasuke slipped a bored expression on his face. "What is this about Naruto? Last time I saw him, he was on his back, unconscious in the dirt."

"I shudder to consider the circumstances that would end with that result now; something along the lines of the end of the world." The eldest Hyuuga cousin tilted his head. "You would certainly never be the cause of such a state of affairs again."

"I suppose when one has access to the power of a tailed demon..." Sasuke began.

"Don't deceive yourself into believing that," Neji interrupted. "Naruto has spent years learning to suppress and control the Kyuubi. Konoha, especially the council, fears and loathes Naruto's tenant. His freedom and, perhaps, his very life, would be forfeit if there was the smallest sign that beast holds sway."

"If that's true..."

"Your youthful rivalry, or perhaps your preoccupation with other matters, has left your memories incomplete," Neji interrupted again. "At the age of twelve, Naruto was undefeated in the Chunin exams before they were...interrupted." He raised a brow. "And although you were draped, nearly unconscious, over a tree branch at the time, perhaps you remember the battle with Gaara and his demon? There was no Kyuubi assistance there; it was purely Naruto."

"I beat him at the Valley of the End..." It was almost a question.

They were interrupted by Sakura who bounced into the seat next to him.

"What are you all talking so serious about?" She turned and rested her head on Sasuke's shoulder, ignoring or unaware of the tensing of his entire body. "I'm so happy to see you making friends again, Sasuke-kun."

Both dark haired shinobi declined to correct her misinterpretation of the situation. Instead, Neji responded, "I was apprising Sasuke on Naruto's training."

Sakura's whole demeanor changed and a look of distaste crossed her face.

"Idiot. He needs all the training he can get." Sakura flipped her hair back and huffed. "Anyway, all the training in the world won't make him any less of a loser."

"Sakura, I don't understand why you continue to deny that Naruto is a talented ninja."

"Talented? Pft. You mean lucky," Sakura said. "Yeah, yeah, I know. He fucked you over at the Chunin exams. I suppose it soothes that gigantic Hyuuga ego to make him out to be more than he really is.

"Either way," She smiled adoringly and patted Sasuke's thigh. "Sasuke here kicked his ass."

Sakura leaned toward Sasuke, adding with relish, "You should have seen the pathetic, half-dead pile of steaming flesh Kakashi-sensei brought back after you got done with him."

Sasuke paled, but said nothing.

"Certainly I was not there; however, I suspect that it is not so difficult to defeat an opponent who is unwilling to harm you," Neji interjected.

Sakura turned to Sasuke, rested her chin in her hand. She didn't even seem to be seeing him as she started conversationally, "You see, Neji-chan here is a faggot," she said sweetly. “And he thinks it’s his fate," she cooed again, "to have Naruto's DICK up his ASS." Her eyes were blazing by the end of her sentence.

Sasuke just stared at her, no expression on his face. Then, as if in synch, his and Neji's heads whipped toward the door.

"Naruto's back."

They both stood abruptly, Sasuke's chair scraping loudly in his haste. Two sets of eyes, one dark, one light, narrowed in speculation of each other. Then Neji did a rare thing; he smiled.

Before Sasuke could process the change in mood, Neji leapt toward the ceiling. Just where he had been standing, Naruto's body materialized through the flooring.

"Damn it. You felt me coming." The blond laughed and looked around. A split second later, a pale pair of hands slid around his face from behind and covered his eyes. Then another Naruto appeared behind the Hyuuga, the first popping out of existence. Neji found himself in a chakra-reinforced headlock.

"And you. I can't tell your clones from you anymore, even with Byakugan," Neji said, smiling.

The two wrestled and tossed each other for another minute, before the storeowner came over waving a broom. "Get out. You break anything in here and you're gonna pay."

Sasuke moved his chair the rest of the way out of his path with a slam and started across the room, irrationally upset over what was obviously a long standing ritual between Naruto and Neji.

"Let's go." He pointed at Sakura. "Time for you to pack."

"Sasuke-kun!' she shouted scrambling to her feet. "Wait. I thought that maybe…"

He walked out the door.

++

"Honey, I'm home." Naruto's voice reached the interior of the house before he did.

Just as he stepped into the entry a flurry of shuriken and kunai came at him. Both of his arms moved almost faster than Sasuke could see. When he stopped, his forearms and one bicep were impaled with two dozen weapons.

"Sakura-chaaaan," Naruto whined.

"Go away," she hissed. "Why do you have to be here?"

"Number one, grandma sent me here to relieve you." His arms drooped slightly under the weight of all the metal sticking out of them.

"B," he continued, "What the fuck? You're gonna put holes in Sasuke's walls." He dropped a hand quickly to catch a drop of blood.

"And three." His arms finally fell to swing at his sides. "OUCH!"

While Sasuke was rooted to the spot in shock, Sakura shrieked.

"You moron, you're going to get blood on Sasuke-kun's floor." She slid to the spot on her knees and started swiping at the droplets with the hem of her skirt. She cast a venomous look up at Naruto and then punched him in the leg.

"Fuck!" The hit sent him back out the door beyond the edge of the porch and onto the gravel walk.

Sasuke finally found the will to move and, in a flash, was outside with the blond who was laying flat on his back.

"Fuck, she's worse than an S-class mission." He started to sit up.

"Don't move," Sasuke murmured, picking up one arm and gently started working one of the weapons free.

"Naw, don't worry about that." Naruto swatted Sasuke's hand away and jerked all the weapons out with several negligent swipes. "These'll be fine in a bit."

He sat up and looked at his leg. "I think she broke my femur, though. That's gonna take longer."

"What!?" Sasuke stared at him. "She broke your leg? What the hell is her problem?"

Naruto ducked his head, his grin slipping. "Well, she's been pretty mad at me for a long time." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Though I had thought we might be fixed now."

"Why is she angry with you?"

"Uhm...well, because I never brought you back." He didn't see the dark look on Sasuke's face. "The fact that she has to leave here probably has her panties in a knot. Probably had visions of naked Sasuke-kuns dancing in her head."

He looked up quickly, an idea occurring to him. "Ya know, if you want, I could probably talk to the old hag and get it switched back. Far be it from me to deprive a guy of a..."

He didn't get to finish as Sasuke grabbed his collar roughly, cutting off his air. "I swear to Kami if you take one step toward the Hokage tower, I'll break your other leg."

Naruto laughed. "Okay, your funeral. Although I don't suppose there's anything you can do to piss her off. She blames me for bad weather and crop failures."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story


	5. Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obligatory WAFF alert! For good or ill, there aren't too many chapters like this.
> 
> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!

One thing Sasuke could say about Naruto; he was certainly taking his guard duty seriously. He'd only seen the blond a handful of minutes in the last week; he didn't know if Naruto even ate or slept. The younger shinobi just seemed to prowl the compound continuously. A fucking June bug couldn't come into the district without Naruto being right on its ass.

Finally he'd had enough and tracked down his over achieving sentinel.

"I brought you some water."

"Thanks."

"Why don't you take a break and eat some of the lunch I'm cooking."

"Oh, okay, just set it…"

"No, I mean..." Sasuke's face flushed. "Eat lunch with me." Naruto said nothing.

"We haven't talked since I got back."

"About what?"

"Nothing, everything," Sasuke's said, exasperated. "What you've been up to, what I've been up to."

"But the guard duty…"

"You do know that I don't need to be guarded, right? Certainly not with the diligence you're giving it." Naruto rubbed his neck. "I can protect myself, and I'm not leaving. I've come home."

Naruto had yet to look at him. Sasuke reached out and grasped his elbow. "Come eat with me."

Naruto finally relented, but sat stiff and poked at the rice and fish before him. Determined that this would be a beginning though, Sasuke spoke; nothing deep, just missions and training, his plans for the property.

When Naruto finally got up, Sasuke said, "So, breakfast tomorrow?" After a moment, Naruto nodded and left.

By the end of the week, the two were sharing every meal. Twice Naruto had even come into the house early to do the cooking. And Naruto had relaxed considerably and was actually talking as well.

The talk was still missions and training and Naruto made his last three years sound like a series of comic misadventures, but Sasuke had also lived that life, and knew the stories for what they were; a shiny shellac over years of blood, sweat, tears, and loneliness.

By the end of the next week, Sasuke had taken to touching his friend. It was all innocuous enough, small brushes covered by the straightening of a collar or the doing of a button. He'd pulled enough imaginary lint off the blond to stuff an imaginary pillow. Before long, Naruto took to standing still as if waiting for Sasuke to fix him up before he took off.

But Sasuke still sensed a gulf between him and the blond and damned if he didn't want it gone. He wanted Naruto's trust. He wanted his affection, his attention. He wanted his friend back.

Sasuke thought he was going down the right path, though, in reestablishing their bond, using time and undemanding companionship as chisels beyond Naruto's defenses.

With this in mind he decided his next maneuver would be to ask Naruto to help him with the Uchiha property. It would show Naruto that Sasuke valued his help and trusted him with something as personal as his history. And it would perhaps give the blond a sense of ownership in Sasuke's life.

++

It was certainly handy having access to a veritable army of Narutos. Not that Sasuke was in any kind of hurry to get work done on the property, but when it came to manual labor, Naruto clones made excellent pack animals.

Currently he had about ten Narutos emptying his mother's sister's house, readying it for an assessment of sorts. She had several children and her house had the largest accumulation of possessions. He estimated that Naruto would have it empty by the time he made a rough sketch of the building.

He was pacing off the front porch when Naruto walked up with a box.

"Hey, I'm not trying to be nosy, but...what's this stuff?"

Sasuke peered over the edge and raised a brow. "Toys?"

"Toys," Naruto repeated as though testing out the word for the very first time.

"Yeah, toys." Naruto picked up a koma and smacked it against his palm.

Sasuke watched him whack the top against his palm several more times and added, "You play with them."

"Play with them," Naruto parroted again, now swinging the top back and forth like a club.

Sasuke took the wooden koma from Naruto and spun it on the porch floor.

Naruto's eyes widened and he looked back and forth between Sasuke and the toy several times.

"You don't know what toys are?"

Naruto's face started to close off and Sasuke mentally slapped himself. He bent to his knees.

"Here, let's play." Naruto seemed to let it go and stooped down next to the box. He reached in and pulled out a handful of marbles.

Sasuke said, "Ohajiki," then watched in fascination as they lifted in Naruto's palm and swirled around each other. After several seconds he shook his head and pressed them into Naruto's hand.

"No chakra. These are civilian toys. You don't use chakra."

Naruto's eyes widened again and his whole body bounced up and down. "Show me? Please?"

The pair spent the next two hours emptying the box, playing with one toy after another. Sasuke showed Naruto how the ball and spindle of the kendama were used together. Then he pulled out a simple piece of string, 'ayatori,' he said, and then amazed Naruto by creating a complicated web using nothing but his fingers.

Naruto growled in mock affront as Sasuke balanced himself on the takeuma and walked around gracefully while he'd fallen off the stilts onto his ass a half dozen times.

Naruto was like a small child at Christmas. He quivered with excitement until finally he flopped over onto his back during Sasuke's explanation of the kokeshi dolls and fell asleep from over stimulation.

Sasuke crawled over the toys and studied his Naruto's peaceful face. He pulled his friend into his arms and Naruto snuggled into his embrace. A new feeling was filling him.

As he held the sun warmed body to his chest, he imagined this feeling was what his father must have felt about his family. He felt a ferocious need to protect, to rearrange the universe to accommodate his precious ones, removing all obstacles, obtaining every luxury and advantage.

He felt frustration that he couldn't go back and fix the wrongs of Naruto's childhood, but made a silent promise that nothing would ever hurt the blond as long as he lived. As he held Naruto's head to his shoulder, he vowed that Naruto would never go wanting for anything again.

++

A few days later, Sasuke watched Naruto demolish the old greenhouse. It was a hazard and the blond was able to bring it down with a few movements of earth while keeping the debris contained in a tight ball of compressed air. Then Sasuke could incinerate the small pile with ease.

As he watched the concentration on the whiskered face and felt the waves of residual power caress his senses, he found himself half hard. His fingers yearned to test the firmness of the sweaty flesh on those amazingly ripped arms and shoulders. His mouth watered with a burning desire to press his teeth into the muscles flexing under that tan skin, to see where those intriguing black flames up his arm ended.

The aura that radiated off Naruto was so compelling. His whole being spoke of lands explored and tests passed. The image he portrayed was quiet confidence and complete comfort in his own skin. Sasuke was surprised to find himself daydreaming about curling up at Naruto's feet.

There was no denying it. He wanted Naruto badly, images of throwing and being thrown onto the nearest flat surface giving him a physical ache.

When Naruto stopped and poured a ladleful of water over his head and Sasuke was forced to watch the drops slide down his neck, and then disappear into the top of his shirt, the only thing keeping him from going to the blond was the conviction that Naruto would reject him.

Just then Naruto looked at the sun and came over to where he was sitting.

"Hey, bastard, I have some things to take care of today." He pushed his hair back, squeezing the water down the back of his neck. "I'll get Neji to take over for a while."

Sasuke blinked. Naruto had things to do? Well, of course he did. Sasuke suddenly realized he'd been so busy trying to involve Naruto in his life, that he'd never considered trying to involve himself in Naruto's life.

"Can I come with you?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "Uhm, sure. That would be great." He smiled. "Actually, I'd like it a lot."

Sasuke nodded. "You take a shower first, I'll finish up here."

After a leisurely walk across town, Naruto pushed open a gate that led to the front of a sprawling old house. Sasuke remembered this house from his childhood; it had been dismal and dilapidated and used to give him nightmares. The creepy old eyesore was now impeccably maintained, with fresh paint and well tended, brightly colored flower gardens dotting the scrupulously manicured lawn.

"The orphanage?" Sasuke could tell that Naruto was ready to hop up and down with excitement. "It looks so different."

"Yeah, a lot better than when I lived here."

Sasuke stopped dead. "You lived here?"

"Well, sure. For a while." Naruto laughed. "Where do you think babies without families live?"

Sasuke was speechless. He'd never really thought about where Naruto had lived. When they were kids, he's just assumed that Naruto did what every other kid did when the day was over; went home.

"How long?"

"I ran away when I was six. Of course it didn't have the Twinkle Sisters then." He rubbed his neck. "The old caretakers didn't care for the demon kid much."

"Twinkle Sisters? Six?" Sasuke shook his head against all the questions crowding his brain. "What did you do then? Where did you go?"

"I don't remember," Naruto hedged. "Forget it." He grabbed Sasuke's arm and pulled him toward the house. "Daylight's wasting."

Before they made it to the house, the front door opened and a very large, very noisy crowd of people rushed out.

Right in front of Sasuke's eyes, Naruto was mobbed by several hundred, well, maybe six, screeching children.

The blond turned to Sasuke, his arms held out parallel to the ground, three children hanging off each, their legs swinging and high pitched squeals of excitement piercing the air.

"Hey, Sasuke, there are supposed to be children here. Have you seen any children? I only see monkeys." He turned his head back and forth, squinting at the toddlers hanging from his forearms.

The squealing and giggling increased tenfold and before Sasuke could even begin to make sense of the scene before him, he felt something tug on his hand.

He looked down and found a very tiny dark haired girl holding his hand with one of hers while she hugged a stuffed…something and sucked her thumb with the other.

She tugged firmly and he looked at her face. She looked at him calmly and then yanked on his hand even harder until he figured out that she wanted him to stoop. He squatted and no sooner had he made it to her level, she climbed onto his hip, wrapped her arm around his neck and dropped her head onto his shoulder.

Bemused, he sat there several seconds amidst the din, no idea what to make of this turn in his day. As Naruto was now a howling mess buried under a mountain of flailing arms and legs, he sighed, wrapped his arm around his newest appendage and stood.

"They'll settle in a minute," a feminine voice said from his right.

His first thought when he saw the middle aged woman with sparkling eyes and radiant smile was that this must be a twinkle sister. She reached out and stroked the hair of the girl in Sasuke's arm.

"Friendly children," he muttered.

"She can't seem to get enough human interaction," she said. "I'll take her if you'd like."

He started to turn in her direction, but the tiny girl tightened her arm around his neck and made a noise of disapproval. "I'll just hold her a minute," he smirked.

Naruto was panting and hiccupping as he pulled himself to his feet, tykes still pulling on his legs. He came up to Sasuke and put his hand on the little girl's back.

"I see you've met our little coat of paint. You'll need a scraper to get her off before we leave."

He leaned in and kissed her brow and then blew raspberries on her cheek, making her giggle and squirm. "How's our beautiful baby girl? Mm, I missed you."

She giggled some more and clutched his hair with a wet hand while burying her face in Sasuke's neck.

Finally Naruto stood before the older woman and bowed. She bowed in return and then laughed, slapped him in the arm and pulled him into a hug. He picked her up off her feet and swung her in a circle.

"Stop it," she laughed. "Put me down. You know I'm too old for such nonsense."

He gave her one more squeeze, a look of pure happiness on his face, then set her on her feet without releasing her hands.

"How are things here? The plumbing? Is it warm enough? The grocers treating you fairly?"

"Of course." She pulled a hand away and patted his cheek. "Neji-san does an excellent job of taking care of everything while you're gone."

He leaned in, his smile softening. "Where is he?"

"Over there, I expect." She pointed toward the corner of the house. Sasuke, whose little passenger was now snoring wetly against his neck, turned in the direction she indicated.

There, almost obscured by a bush, was a boy, older than the rest of the children, probably nine or ten years old. His posture was instantly recognizable to Sasuke. The boy was turned slightly away, his arms crossed defensively over his chest. The look on his face was impassive and only because he was looking for it, did he see the tiny furtive glances in Naruto's direction. Sasuke waited to see how Naruto would react.

Naruto's smile widened and he strode purposefully toward the boy. Sasuke's brow rose when Naruto stopped in front of the youth and bowed.

"My worthy rival, it's an honor to see you again." The boy turned with studied nonchalance and gave a slight bow as well.

"You've been gone a long time," he said.

Naruto nodded. "Yes, I have. Did you get my letters?"

The boy nodded and Sasuke watched with interest as the veneer was peeled away.

He swiped his forearm across his nose. "Neji-san said you were doing important work."

Naruto nodded again. "We're all a team. I go outside the gates and do my work. He works inside the gates. Do you remember why?"

His thin shoulders scrunched and his face flushed. "You love us? Me?"

Naruto's smile could light a room. "Yes."

The boy's jaw worked for several moments and then he crossed his arms again, having mastered his emotions. "Who is he?" He pointed to Sasuke.

"Jomei-san, this is Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke this is Jomei."

The boy did an admirable Uchiha impression and Sasuke marveled at how someone two feet shorter than he was could look down his nose at him.

"Do you have time for a game?" Naruto asked Jomei.

"Have you been practicing?" Jomei responded.

"Well," Naruto blushed, "sort of. Sasuke and I have played a few games."

"Are you talking about shoji?' Sasuke asked.

"Yeah," they both responded.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Naruto is a man of many talents. Shoji is not one of them." As Naruto straightened and put his hands on his hips in mock offense, Sasuke continued. "May I play?"

"Don't do it, Sasuke," Naruto said. "He's really good."

"You're just really bad," Jomei said. "Even Mei beat you last time."

They all looked at the six year old girl who had just rolled onto her side, trying to bite her toenails.

"She's trickier than she looks," Naruto muttered, pouting.

During the game, Jomei said to Sasuke, "I've heard of you. You're the boy who ran away like a baby after your family died."

Naruto gasped. "Jomei..."

"I was foolish," Sasuke interrupted. "I was not as wise or courageous as you when I was your age." He bowed his head. "I'm working to be a better man."

"Jomei," Naruto said. "Sasuke didn't have Twinkle sisters."

"Hn," the boy said.

Just before they left, Naruto pulled one of the sisters aside.

"Do the kids have toys?" He looked at Sasuke as if confirming that was the right word. "Civilian toys?"

She patted his cheek. "Of course. Occasionally, villagers will make donations of toys their children have outgrown. And a couple of years ago, Neji-san and Hinata-chan cleaned out their rooms and brought over boxes of things. They have plenty."

Sasuke watched as Naruto scooped her into a hug, more, he suspected, to keep her from seeing that he was struggling not to cry.

Later Sasuke and Naruto were walking home. Sasuke was unusually quiet.

"Hey, bastard," Naruto said. "You mad at me for dragging you along? Did Jomei upset you?"

"No," Sasuke answered. Then he turned and pulled Naruto into his arms. After a moment, he pulled back and kissed him on the cheek.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked quietly when Sasuke rested their foreheads together.

"I thought my life was better because you're in it." He laced their fingers together and pulled back slightly. "It seems that the world is better because you're in it."

"Sasuke, what's this all about?"

"I was sitting there playing shoji with Jomei and I thought, 'these kids are so lucky to have a Naruto.' Then I thought, 'if only I'd had a Naruto...'" Sasuke squeezed their palms together and bowed his head. "Then I realized that I did have a Naruto." He leaned their foreheads together again. "I just didn't appreciate it. That won't happen again."

Then he turned them back toward home, and didn't call attention to the fact that they were still holding hands and Naruto was allowing it.


	6. Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!

One evening an opportunity to change the status quo arose. Sasuke recognized it and took it. He'd just sat on the end of the couch and set his tea on the end table, when Naruto wandered into the living room, towel drying his hair.

"Whatcha doing?"

"I'm going to read for a while." Sasuke held up his book so the other could read the cover.

"Is it good?"

"I've heard that it is, but I haven't started it yet." Sasuke looked speculatively at the other teen. "Sit down and I'll read it aloud."

Naruto hesitated, casting several looks at the door, but finally said, "Okay," and dropped into the chair across the room.

Sasuke opened the book and began to read, "The river flowed south, having no other option…"

Thus began a nightly ritual. Eventually Sasuke convinced Naruto to move to the couch next to him, so that he wouldn't have to shout across the room.

From there, Sasuke used Naruto's distraction in the story to maneuver him into laying his head on a pillow on Sasuke's leg. The readings didn't last terribly long, a chapter a night, but he came to secretly cherish the relaxing cocoon where they were together, but with the safety of another world between them.

One evening, about a fourth of the way through the book, Sasuke had stopped for a few moments to sip his tea.

"Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think Kisho-san made the right decision to go to the forest to live alone?" he asked about the book's main protagonist.

"That depends." He set down his cup. "What do you think?"

"I can see why he would want to go. His life was nothing but rejection and pain." Naruto fiddled with the fringe on the pillow under his head. "If you're alone, no one can hurt you."

"That's probably true." Naruto was deep enough in thought that he seemed unaware when Sasuke brushed the hair off his forehead and left his fingers tangled in the strands. "But what if, by leaving, he misses out on a bond that could change his life?"

Naruto frowned. "Maybe."

++

After several more readings, Naruto was immersed in the story again. His head was on Sasuke's lap and he was running a finger absently over the ribbing on the brunette's shirt. As Sasuke closed the book for the night, Naruto seemed agitated.

"This isn't going to have a happy ending is it? When he finds out that she only has a year to live, it's going to kill him." He shook his head, frowning. "The ending is going to be terrible. He should have stayed in the forest."

"Do you think so?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke. "You don't?"

"What if something happens to him before she dies? What if he dies first?"

Naruto blinked. "Then she'll be the one hurt. Either way…"

"But they will have had at least one year together; possibly the happiest of both their lives. Would that be a happy ending?" His hand was resting lightly on Naruto's chest. "Would it be worth coming out of the forest then?"

"I've never had anyone so I don't know, but you told me it wouldn't."

Sasuke sat up, frowning. "I did?"

"Well, yeah. Back when you left, you told me that I was luckier because I'd never had bonds. That it was worse to have them and then lose them. I think you're probably right." He missed the stunned look on Sasuke's face.

Sasuke felt sick. Gods, but Naruto was right; Sasuke had told him that very thing. And he had meant it at the time with every cell in his being. But now… When had that changed?

"Naruto," he whispered. "I…

Naruto rolled toward him. "What's wrong?"

"I wasn't right. I mean, I was young and it …hurt so badly at the time, but," Sasuke floundered. This seemed so terribly important, for both their sakes.

"You've changed your mind, then?"

Absolutely he had. He didn't know when or how, although the blond in his lap played no small part in the 'why.'

"Yes. When I was young, after…everything, losing the bonds I had was almost too painful to bear." He gripped Naruto's hand. "But part of the reason it was so painful was the hatred and anger I let fill me. I held onto my grief for too long. I lost sight of how lucky I was to have my family while I did."

He looked down and caressed a whiskered cheek. "It took too long to have any good memories of my family, to appreciate then that there were those who never had a mother to fill their days and nights with comfort and warmth; those who never had a father to be their strength until they were old enough to stand up with their own strength."

"You're feeling pity for me." Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"No. Only sorry that I wanted to rip away from you the only bond you had."

Naruto shrugged. "I get it, though. It's like you said, bonds are painful."

"But the pain isn't the point. The bonds are the point." Sasuke squeezed Naruto's hand. "In our book, Kisho may not have wanted a new bond, but he has one now anyway. Do you think his pain would be less if he ran away from it at this point, or if he stayed and cherished the time they have together?"

"I don't know," Naruto whispered. "If you were Kisho, would you stay knowing…"

"If I had another chance at a bond like that, I would give everything I had to it and not try to predict the future."

That was the last night Naruto let Sasuke read to him from that book.

It was also the night that Sasuke vowed that Naruto would be his.

++

Sasuke decided that the readings, while enjoyable were probably too touchy feely for Naruto. And, as it turned out, the story was hitting too close to home. He was at a loss how to proceed until one evening during dinner.

Naruto had been quiet for the last couple of days after their discussion about bonds, but finally as he poked at his dinner he spoke.

"So Sasuke, what really brings you back to Konoha?"

Again, Sasuke had a variety of answers from which he could choose; he could evade, or insult; he could throw himself uselessly against the wall the blond teen had erected. Or he could try to try to speak to the Naruto he knew better than anyone else.

He thought a moment, and then he had an inspiration, an idea that would allow him to corner the evasive ninja and force them to spend time together.

Liking the idea the more he thought about it, he said, "I would ask that you consider training me."

The look on Naruto's face was alarming. His mouth dropped open. Then closed and opened again. Then he turned around as if looking to see who Sasuke was really talking to.

"Riiight. Pull the other one. It has bells on it."

"I’m in need of a new teacher and I hoped that you would have the time and the inclination..."

"Hold on just a mother fucking minute. I'm the god-damned loser. Sasuke's little dead-last," Naruto interrupted, not even trying to keep the smile on, or the anger off, his face. "Why the fuck would I believe that you want me to train you?"

"Everyone knows that you’re one of strongest shinobi of the five great nations and, since I killed Orochimaru,” Sasuke shrugged, “it's safe to assume I had outgrown him."

Naruto sat frozen. Then he smirked.

"You really killed the snake bastard?" Sasuke nodded and Naruto continued, "Is that what you do with all your teachers when you're done with them?"

"It is too early to confirm with any certainty, but if it puts your mind at ease, I understand that Kakashi-sensei is in good health." Sasuke smirked. “So far.”

Naruto leaned across the table and nodded his head. "You did grow a sense of humor, you bastard." He crossed his arms and grinned. "We'll talk."

++

The next afternoon, Naruto accompanied Sasuke around the perimeter of the property as he took stock of the Uchiha border fence.

"Training, huh?" Naruto and Sasuke had been walking side by side companionably, both heads down, hands in pockets, each fairly comfortable in the other's presence.

"When you're ready."

"My leg healed ages ago. We can start whenever." He kicked a rock absently. "But that's not really why you came back is it?"

Sasuke was silent for a long time.

"No." At Naruto's nod, he added quickly, "I do want to train with you, but no, that's not why I came back." He was silent again for another few minutes.

Then he said, "I've been thinking about the...relationships in my life. Or, rather, the lack of relationships. I've been feeling that I want...something more."

Naruto looked up sharply. "You mean like a romantic relationship?"

"Yes, I suppose."

Naruto's mask, and the accompanying overabundance of activity and noise, was back in place so quickly that Sasuke felt disoriented.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" He grabbed Sasuke by the arm and spun him around.

"Let's see." He stood back and eyed the brunette, his index finger tapping his lips. "How about..." He posed Sasuke, putting one pale hand on one slim hip. He then fluffed Sasuke's hair and stepped back again.

"There, that should attract just about every female…and male…in the village over the age of eleven. I admit the sorting process is going to be a grind, but I think you're up..."

His dialog was interrupted by a ninja sandal planted in the middle of his chest. He lie sprawled in a bush, staring up at the sky.

"Will someone _please_ send me after some dangerous criminals before I end up in a hospital?" he yelled to the clouds above. "What the fuck bastard?"

"Moron," Sasuke growled as he offered Naruto his hand and pulled him to his feet. With a final smack to the back of the blond head, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and started back down the path.

Naruto quickly caught up and soon they were walking in synch again. Finally he sighed,

"Kind of funny, but I've been thinking a lot about that, too."

"What?" Sasuke thought a moment before realizing to what Naruto was referring. "You mean relationships?"

"Yeah." He abused a few more stones in his path. "I wonder what it would be like to...I don't know...have someone of my own."

"Well, as you pointed out, that should be easy enough. I know of at least three people in town who are quite in love with you."

Naruto snorted. "Uh huh."

He cast a speculative look at Naruto. "In fact, I'm certain your relationship with the Hyuuga could be all that you're looking for."

"Hyuuga? _Hyuuga_? _Neji_?" Naruto's voice was getting shriller with each word. Then his mouth opened and closed like a carp, no sound coming out at all.

"In fact, Naruto-kun, Sakura-chan informs us all that Hyuuga Neji is happiest when he...how did she so delicately put it...has your dick up his ass."

Naruto literally stumbled. "What? Neji...I...we," His face was a startling shade of red. Then he swiped his hands in a large motion, slicing them through the air. "Neji and I have never...I would never... Nuh uh. No way."

He and Sasuke were stopped once again on the path as Sasuke observed these reactions. Smirking he turned and started walking again.

Naruto caught up.

"She really said that? In front of people?"

"Hn. Not long after Sai was rhapsodizing about the wonders of your penis."

"Aa! What the fuck? Does this village wait for me to leave so they can sit around and dissect my sex life?"

"So it seems."

"That fucking Sai has never met my penis." He looked sideways at Sasuke. "Anyway, not Neji, not Sai, not _anyone_ from the village."

"Why not?"

"Sasuke, there are only a handful of people in Konoha that can even stand me. If I started ..." He shook his head firmly. "I have to live here. I'm not messing with any of those relationships."

"Are you sure? Hinata worships the ground you walk on."

Naruto was quiet for several moments and Sasuke glanced to the side to try to read what Naruto was thinking.

Finally, Naruto muttered, "Sasuke, can you keep a secret?"

"Yes."

"Well, see, Hinata-chan is...a girl."

"You should be thankful she isn't here, moron, or she'd introduce you to eight trigrams, sixty four palms of pain."

"Huh?"

"I'm pretty sure everyone already knows she's a girl, dumbass." He leaned over and added in a loud whisper, "It's the giant breasts that give it away."

Sasuke and Naruto were once again stopped on the path.

"Eh, that's not what I...huh? She has giant breasts?"

"Giant. You haven't noticed?"

"Er, well, see, that's what I mean." He made several pained expressions and blushed. "You're probably gonna hate me and change your mind about training with me, but you oughta know, I guess. See...girlsareokaybuttheyjustdon'tdoitformelikeguys." He was blushing madly and panting. "Okay?" he yelled, throwing his arms wide.

"Hn." Sasuke just shrugged and headed once again down the path.

Naruto jogged and caught up.

"You aren't mad?"

"Certainly not." His lip twitched. "Be glad Orochimaru wasn't aware of your preference. The price on your head in Sound would have been double."

"Ew, that's just…ew. He's older than Izanagi." Suddenly he looked stricken. "Sasuke…you and the snake bastard…" He looked green.

"Orochimaru-sensei was a rather…frustrated individual. Aside from the age difference, his hygiene made him rather unappealing."

"So he really was a greasy cock sucker." Naruto nudged Sasuke with his elbow and snickered. "Get it? Greasy? Cock sucker?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"But what about you? Pretty as you are, they had to be salivating over you like a pack of dogs over a new bone." He nudged Sasuke with his elbow again and waggled his eyebrows lewdly. "Get it? Bone?"

Sasuke smacked him in the back of the head. "I did have to explain to several of them that I was there for training. I have a collection of teeth that I wore on a string around my wrist."

"Ha!" Naruto slapped the brunette on the shoulder.

"So what, did they have some pretty little servants on base?"

"I was there for training."

Naruto blinked several times and scratched the back of his head. "I was training too, but…" He shook his head and scratched his cheek.

"Well, anyway, now that you're back and looking for something more, maybe you and Sakura…"

"No."

"But she has the doilies crocheted and the Sakura tattoo for your ass all picked out." Naruto snickered. At Sasuke's cross look he added, "Seriously, I've seen it."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. 'Naw, just kidding." Just as the brunette's face relaxed, Naruto snickered again. "It really says "Mine," and she plans to engrave it on your dick."

"Naruto, can you keep a secret?" The blond nodded.

He leaned into Naruto's space, keeping his hands in his pockets. "Sakura is a girl."

His smirk almost morphed into a full-fledged grin as the blond turned on his heel and stalked away. He could clearly hear him repeating under his breath, "no fucking the villagers, no fucking the villagers..."


	7. - Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!

The next day, Naruto and Sasuke hit the training grounds early.

"So this is just to feel each other up...I mean out." Naruto coughed. "Uhm, feel each other OUT."

He turned and stormed back to the tree where they'd dropped a few supplies, ignoring the slightly arched brow directed at him. Suddenly grouchy, he whipped off his weapons pouch and threw it on the ground.

"Shut the hell up." Naruto pointed a finger across the clearing.

"I didn't say anything." Sasuke made the pretense of straightening his gi top, but amazingly, by the time he was finished, it was open even wider and pulled further from his obi.

"No, but..." Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I hear what you were thinking." He proceeded to empty the pockets of his flak jacket, muttering, "...knew this was a bad idea...never should have agreed...stupid, idiotic..."

He jumped a foot when he felt a hand touch his shoulder.

"Aagh! Don't do that." He clutched his chest and panted. "Well, I see you learned at least one useful move."

"Naruto, if you truly don't want to do this…" Sasuke, whose gi top was now inexplicably hanging off one shoulder, was unconvincingly humble. "Forgive me for asking this of you."

"Oh, blow me, you jackoff. Knock that crap off and get back over there.”

He'd pulled the flak jacket over his head and was shaking it out upside down over the growing pile of paraphernalia; senbon, spools of wire, smoke grenades, soldier pills. Condoms. A nearly empty tube of lube.

Sasuke stooped and gingerly picked up an unopened square of foil with two fingers.

"I'll bet this is handier than a dozen exploding tags."

"Huh? Hey!" Naruto snatched the item out of the older teen's hand. "Gimme that.” Then he waggled his eyebrows lewdly. "A ninja can never be too prepared.

"Anyway, Jiraiya kept giving the damn things to me. Kept warning me about leaving little Uzumakis all over the place. Didn't see the point in telling him, well, you know. Anyway, I don't use 'em. Fuzzy won't even let me get a cold." He shoved the packet back into a small pocket and continued sorting.

The back of his neck started prickling and he turned back to the dark eyed ninja. "What?"

He scowled; Sasuke was right behind him again. "Do you have to stand so fucking close? And what the hell happened to your top?" The gi top was now lying in a heap on the ground.

He then noticed that Sasuke's gi bottoms were now riding scandalously low on his hipbones. His mouth slid open and he stared stupidly at Sasuke for several long seconds. His gaze traveled up and down the lithe body and he was rubbing his palms on the legs of his pants.

Then his eyes narrowed and he held out a handful of shuriken. "I'm warning you, if those drop another inch, I'm going to anchor them to your ass with these."

Sighing, Sasuke walked back to his gi top and slid it back into place around his shoulders. Naruto didn't look at him.

"Let's do this,' Sasuke growled.

"Yeah, yeah. Fine." The younger ninja stalked to the center of the clearing and picked up a small stone.

"Let me get a feel for what you've got. Take this stone from my hand." He took a deep breath, settled into a horse stance and closed his eyes.

"Go ahead."

There were several seconds of dead silence and then Sasuke growled in fury.

"Look, if you don't want to spar with me, just fucking say so, though I ought to lay your ass out for this."

Naruto straightened and looked at the brunette. "What?"

"If you're pissed at me about the gi top…."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto closed his eyes and his lips moved as he silently counted to ten. "Look, there's too high a price on my head so I haven't spent any time in Sound or around Sound ninja. Sooo," he rolled his eyes. "I want to get a feel for what the snake bastard taught you."

He threw his arms up in exasperation, and then put his hands on his hips. "Try to take the fucking stone from my hand, assface. You need me to draw you a picture?"

"Fine, moron. Remember you asked for it." Sasuke ground his teeth and waved his own hand gracefully. "After you," he sneered.

Thirty minutes later, Naruto was standing in the exact same spot, his eyes still closed, the stone still resting peacefully in his open palm. Sasuke however was panting and sweating and picking himself up off the ground for the umpteenth time.

"Can you turn Kyuubi off for one damn minute?"

Naruto straightened. "What? I'm not using Kyuubi. Well, maybe the hearing and smelling parts, but I can't turn those off. Believe me; you'd know if I was."

Sasuke flopped onto his back, arms splayed. "You've got to be kidding me. How the hell do you do that with your chakra?"

"I told you, the Senjutsu training. Here, check this out." Naruto scanned the area until he found what he was looking for, a giant boulder just beyond the edge of the clearing.

"See, wind is my element by birth, but when I started with the toads, I learned that I could actually use all the elements. You just gotta feel…" The whiskered face scrunched in concentration, for a moment. Then his expression became serene. "There it is."

Sasuke heard a grinding sound and turned to the boulder. He watched in disbelief as it rose up off the ground, supported by air and vegetation that had grown out of nowhere. It hovered for a few seconds and then a blade made of water coalesced out of thin air and began slicing at the stone. Bits of the rock started falling away, cleanly sliced from the rest. When the dust settled, the rock was standing upright, a good ten feet tall, in the shape of an Uchiha fan.

Naruto looked at the sculpture and tilted his head. Sasuke watched as a tiny, white hot flame, like a paintbrush, burned a spiral, one rotation as a time, in the center.

The sublime expression on the blonde’s face caught the older teen's breath. He was beautiful. His skin seemed to glow and there was an inner stillness that seemed to run deep as an ocean.

Naruto turned and found Sasuke a foot away, his eyes burning.

"Train me!"

++

"Let's start with some light sparring." Naruto fastened his glove. "Just throw whatever you want."

Sasuke nodded and dropped into a fighting stance. He started with some tai-jutsu to warm up their bodies, and then progressed into nin-jutsu to align his chakra paths.

He and Naruto seemed equally matched up to this point and he smirked to himself as he readied something sneakier.

After several feints, he made use of a clone, poofed several feet in front of the blond and brought up a Chidori. Chidori was generally a close range weapon, and he bet that Naruto wouldn't be expecting it from a distance.

Next thing he knew he was flying through the air, agony shooting through his limbs. He pulled himself off the ground and realized his clothes were smoking. He'd just been zapped by his own Chidori.

"You okay?"

He looked at Naruto, who stood with his hand around a thick vine that was sprouting from the ground at his feet. It hadn't been there a second ago.

"What did you do?"

"This is made of wood. I blocked your electricity with it."

"You sent it back to me. Wood doesn't conduct electricity." Sasuke stood and brushed the dirt off his ass. "Explain."

"Well, I used a live vine because it has water in it. Water does conduct electricity." He shrugged. "And since it is alive, it's connected to every drop of water on the planet." He rubbed the back of his neck, and looked nervous. "Including the drops under your feet. Are you mad at me?"

"Certainly not."

"Anyway, that's what I thought we'd work on."

"Water?"

Naruto nodded. "See, since I know you're an Uchiha, I knew that one of only a couple things was coming my way."

Sasuke's jaw clenched. "So I'm a one trick pony?"

"Oh, no. Not at all. But most ninja only work with their birth element." He shrugged. "Most ninja _can_ only work with their birth element."

He walked over to Sasuke. "But you're the strongest ninja I know and I think you could work with more than one."

"But water?" Sasuke smirked. "Don't fire and water make…steam?"

Naruto was silent for a moment and then burst into laughter. "Evildoers, beware the wrath of Uchiha Sasuke, Steam Ninja."

He laughed even harder. "Provoke him and suffer the worst hair day of your life."

Sasuke smacked him lightly on the side of the head. "Idiot."

"I was thinking about the electricity." Naruto was still chuckling. "Water seems perfect since it does conduct electricity. The planet is ninety percent water, so if you could tap into that, you could conceivably send a bolt, well, anywhere."

Sasuke gasped. The potential just laid out in front of him was the most exciting thing he'd imagined in years. Certainly the snake never hinted at anything more than building and honing what he already had.

He grasped Naruto's shirt. "Show me. Now!"

Naruto laughed. "Okay. We'll make a sage of you yet."

"A sage? Me?"

"I don't see why not." Naruto rubbed his neck. "If the perv could do it and if I can do it…"

"I don't have as much chakra as you do."

"That's the beauty of it. Once you tap into nature, you actually have a never ending supply."

"Why doesn't every ninja become a sage then?"

"Well, it does take a certain minimum amount to get there." He blushed. "Most ninja don't have that." He looked at Sasuke and something…sensual...entered his eyes. He reached up and pushed Sasuke's bangs out of his face. "You do though."

Then he seemed to realize what he'd done and jerked his hand back. "Uhm, sorry."

Sasuke was exhilarated for the next few weeks as he and Naruto worked on his training. He could barely sleep with the excitement he felt over the things he was learning. In the beginning it was exhausting. He was pushing himself so hard that Naruto had to carry him back to the house each evening.

The time together was taking a toll on his willpower though. He fairly quivered with anticipation whenever he was in Naruto's presence and he knew that Naruto felt the same. The sexual tension between the two could be carved up with a knife.

But Naruto was holding back staunchly.

++

Sasuke knew Naruto was weakening and he was surprised to find that he was nervous; trepidation and exhilaration mixing at the notion of pushing an unmarked button. He didn't know for sure what would happen when Naruto broke.

"How do you want to do this?" Sasuke circled Naruto, close enough that their body heat mixed. "Hard and fast?"

"Sasuke…" Naruto's voice was a warning.

"Slower with more intensity?"

"You're one mean son of a bitch, Sasuke."

"Hn." Sasuke brushed Naruto's hand as he stepped around him.

The tension in his body reaching a snapping point, Naruto was angry and felt an irrational need for some revenge. Plastering a heavy lidded look on his face, he stalked well into Sasuke's space and studied him, sniffing and tilting his head, listening.

"Your heart is pounding." He swiped his tongue along Sasuke's neck and looked thoughtful. "And you're sweating. Nervous?"

"Nar…" Sasuke closed his eyes and pressed his palms to Naruto's chest, thinking he might faint as his blood plummeted from his head to his crotch.

The silence stretched until finally Sasuke opened his eyes again. At the look on Naruto's face, he ran his hands over his own chest to make sure he still had his clothes on.

They stared at each other for several long moments, the trees and the air around them whispering of longing and need. Naruto closed his eyes and muttered, 'bad idea, bad idea, bad id…Aw, fuck it."

Three strides and Sasuke was sandwiched between a tree and a hard place. He stared up at Naruto, his brain emptying at the heated expression on the blonde’s face.

He felt a strong hand grip his jaw and, as his lids drooped, his mouth was covered by warm lips. He was pretty sure the whimper he heard came from his own throat, but didn't really care, in fact once his brain, or rather his crotch, recognized the concept of cause and effect, he decided whimpers were damn alright.

Kami-sama, could the blond kiss. Not that he had a lot of experience, but surely this was the most exquisite feeling in the world. He hung there limply, his head swimming, while Naruto growled and plundered his mouth and hitched Sasuke's body closer, and then closer still.

Naruto shoved a leg between Sasuke's and rested him on the hard thigh muscle so that his hands would be free. He speared his fingers through the dark strands and tilted his head back so he could attack the pale neck.

Sasuke rode the hard thigh between his legs mindlessly until Naruto groaned and wrapped Sasuke's legs around his waist. "Hold on."

Then he staggered away from the tree and dropped to his knees. "Don't let go."

"Ah, gods!" Sasuke's eyes rolled back in his head as he was pushed on his back and Naruto began a fierce rolling motion where their groins met.

A large hand palmed the back of his head; another gripped one ass cheek while Sasuke used his legs to try to fuse their molecules.

Naruto was dragged into a world on fire. And he was pissed about it. He felt a need to punish Sasuke for many things; for pushing him past the point of sanity, for leaving him, for coming back, for making him face this, for making him want things.

He leaned back and flipped Sasuke over onto his stomach. He jerked his hips up with one hand and shoved his face into the dirt with the other, then ground his clothed groin into Sasuke's clothed ass.

"Is this what you want?" Naruto growled and pushed forward.

Sasuke struggled to push up onto his hands, and then shoved backward, growling in return.

Naruto leaned over Sasuke's back so he could reach around and shove his hand into the front of Sasuke's pants and he saw it. Blood was running in several small streams down the side of Sasuke's face, mixing with the sand and gravel from where Naruto had ground his face into the dirt.

He gasped. What the hell was he doing?

"Sasuke." He buried his head in the column of Sasuke's throat and shuddered. "I'm so sorry...

Sasuke snapped into action. He twisted and wrapped his arms and legs around Naruto, then grabbed two handfuls of hair.

"Shut up. Don't you dare." He jerked the blond head toward him and tried to crawl inside Naruto through his mouth.

And then Naruto ignited and Sasuke's world was turned upside down. The comparatively tentative, gentle explorations with Toshio had not prepared him for this. This was raging testosterone and large hard muscles. As Naruto encased his body in the larger sweaty embrace, he felt dominated and powerless. And utterly safe. It was raw and hot and liberating and glorious.

"I can't...ah...last.” The blond pulled back, panting.

That was all Sasuke needed. Lightening coalesced low in his belly and burst outward. The whole encounter lasted less than five minutes and they were both still completely clothed.

Several moments passed during which Sasuke's world righted itself once again and he became aware of the panting and shuddering body above him. He reached up and touched the blond strands at his neck.

Naruto startled him by rolling off and throwing his arm over his eyes.

"I'm sorry. Look, don't tell anyone about this and I promise I'll never touch you again."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes and pushed himself onto one elbow. He studied Naruto for a second and then crawled over and straddled him.

"No."

"No, what?" Naruto didn't move his arm from over his eyes.

"No, I won't accept your terms. I understand your decision about involvement with the villagers, but," Sasuke pulled Naruto's arm down. " _But_ ," he repeated more forcefully after Naruto was looking at him, "I'm not the rest of the villagers." He put his hands on either side of Naruto's head. "Am I?"

Naruto didn't answer.

" _Am I_?" Sasuke leaned closer.

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "No, you're worse."

"What does that mean?"

Naruto looked off into the distance. "I can live with having had and lost anybody else."

"You didn't listen to me in the hospital." He leaned in and licked the seam of Naruto's lips. "I came back for you."

Naruto looked into Sasuke's face and felt the abyss before him. Sasuke was showing him the abyss in his eyes. Fearless Sasuke was showing Naruto what could be if he just leapt.

" _Leap_ …"

But this was Sasuke, his Sasuke, and the potential for pain for both of them was so much greater. And Naruto wasn't fearless. He had no fear of death, had been prepared, sometimes eager for it for years. It was living that terrified him.

So he pulled back.

Sasuke saw it and he looked at Naruto speculatively. His eyes narrowed. He hadn't killed a man and walked a thousand miles to give up. Something miraculous was here, hidden. And he was going to lift the cover and show it to Naruto.

"This isn't over."


	8. - Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!

"Neji?" Naruto's voice held absolute delight as he dropped over the gate and landed in front of Hyuuga Neji.

"What are you doing here?" He laughed and Sasuke, from his vantage point some distance away, frowned as he watched the blond throw his arm across the other's shoulder.

"You've been on guard duty for many weeks now without a break. I am here to offer a diversion." He inched closer as Naruto leaned back against the closed gate.

"Whatcha got in mind?"

"I am certain your skills have declined to abysmal levels by now, and I thought I'd do Konoha a favor and give you a spar."

"Ha!" Sasuke's teeth ground together as Naruto reached out and ruffled Neji's hair. "You think so, huh?"

"I will assign one of my Anbu to relieve you here for a short time and you can accompany me to the training grounds where I can begin your retraining."

Sasuke seethed. Naruto seemed completely relaxed as Neji leaned against the gate next to him and picked some imaginary debris from the younger teen's shirt.

"I'm certain we have our work cut out for us, but it is my duty to try." Neji was very close to the blond now and Sasuke could almost feel his intention to begin nuzzling the tan neck inches from him.

"Yeah, I th…" Before Naruto could finish his sentence, Sasuke was at his other side, gripping his elbow.

"Hyuuga," Sasuke said stiffly.

"Uchiha," Neji responded adding a polite bow.

"Hey Sasuke, we were thinking of hitting the training grounds. Wanna go?"

"Certainly." As if Sasuke would let Neji spend time with Naruto alone.

"Great. Let me secure the property and we'll go."

Neji and Sasuke waited for Naruto to set traps and clones around the perimeter of the property.

"Orphans?" Sasuke sneered.

Neji turned to look behind him for the children in question. When he found none, he turned back. "What?"

"How very….philanthropic of you. Caring for orphans?"

Neji nodded in understanding. "Not an undertaking of which you approve, I presume."

"Well, Naruto certainly thinks you're wonderful." Sasuke's lip curled in distaste. "Very strategic."

"I freely admit that I first studied the situation because of its importance to Naruto." Neji clasped his hands serenely in front of him. "But I found it to be worthwhile on its own and deserving of a small portion of my pay as well as an hour or two a week of my time."

He cocked his head and continued, "I'm certain you've been too…preoccupied to know, but Naruto and I are both also orphans."

Sasuke closed his eyes. He had known, but he had forgotten.

"I'm being an ass."

"Beyond a doubt, and I encourage it." Neji nodded slightly. "In fact, I encourage you to explore the whole spectrum of self absorbed idiocy at your fingertips, especially if you are so insecure about your place in his life that you are worried about me."

"You would take him away from me," Sasuke accused.

"I would have him happy. Whether that is with me, you or if he found he'd developed an affection for toads."

Sasuke didn't laugh. "Me, too, but I want to _make_ him happy."

"Of course, you are an Uchiha. If Naruto didn't like a blue sky, it would become your life's work to make it orange."

Sasuke nodded. "There is a part of me like that. But, one orphan to another," he said solemnly, "for all that I would rearrange the universe, damn little has ever gone my way."

Neji sighed. "I know that, my friend." He held out his hand. "Shall we agree to give Naruto the freedom to make the choices that will make him happy?"

Sasuke couldn't help but look for a trap in that. Finding none, he took Neji's hand and squeezed.

"You are making it hard for me to dislike you."

"Your difficulties are a balm to my soul." Neji smirked.

Just then Naruto poofed back. "Ready?"

They walked. Naruto liked to take his time moving around Konoha when he could. He liked to see the people and the places, the things that had changed and the things that had not.

As they walked, Neji talked. "These exercises are mostly for me. Naruto doesn't really get anything out of them."

"I do, too." He rubbed his neck. "Every little bit helps."

"Little bit?" Neji raised a brow.

"Oh, uh, that's just a figure of speech."

Neji turned back to Sasuke. "He is the reason I am Anbu captain."

Naruto was blushing furiously. "I'm standing right here."

"The training he can provide runs the gamut of elements. Further, he is terribly inventive on the battle field. One could be dealing with weapons and clones one moment and multiple elements the next. The sage training brings in techniques that most shinobi have never seen before. By the time I was seventeen, I'd had more practical and varied battlefield simulations than most twenty year veterans."

Neji touched Naruto's shoulder. "He is an invaluable comrade."

"Glad I could help," Naruto muttered grouchily.

Three hours later, Neji and Sasuke sat side by side against a large scorched boulder. Naruto had left them to rest while he went to try and repair some of the damage they'd done to the acres around them.

They were both dripping with sweat and covered in blood, soot and dirt. And both had content smiles on their faces.

"What a workout," Sasuke said passing a flask of water to Neji.

Neji nodded. "And yet he still has enough to go and replace the vegetation that we destroyed."

Sasuke shook his head in wonder. He barely had enough chakra left to light a match. He could hardly comprehend that Naruto was out regrowing trees and shrubbery.

Then as he turned his head to take the flask that Neji was returning, he noticed a distinct lump in the front of Neji's pants. Neji had a fucking erection. Not unlike the one in his own pants.

With a tired sigh, he reached out and took the flask. "You know I'm going to have to kick your ass one of these days." He took a drink and handed the flask back once again.

Neji took a serene swig and wiped at his mouth. "Good luck with that," he answered wearily.

"I can hear you." They heard Naruto's voice yelling from far away. "And there will be no fighting or I'll kick both your asses."

The absurdity of Naruto's proclamation hit both of them and they burst into simultaneous chuckles, which, strangely, heralded the birth of a surprising mutual friendship.

"Toads, huh?" Sasuke said still smiling.

"Gods, I hope not."

++

Sasuke found Naruto leaning against the cherry tree nearest the gate. His arms were crossed, but Sasuke could tell that the blond was half dozing.

He stealthily moved to within inches of his friend and waited for the heightened senses to become aware of him. Sure enough, within seconds, Naruto's nose twitched and his head turned in his direction. After another couple of seconds, blue eyes opened.

Since Naruto was still here and hadn't bolted, he moved in front of him, straddling his legs and aligning their groins. When the blond still hadn't run, Sasuke leaned in, swiping his tongue across Naruto's lips.

"I wondered when you slept," he murmured. "There are several comfortable beds in the house." His hands moved to Naruto's hips and rested there lightly while he buried his nose in the tan neck.

Naruto kept his hands clenched around the fabric of his pants. He was frantically trying to convince himself that if he didn't reach out and touch Sasuke, he wasn't actually participating and was somehow safer. It sounded good in his head.

When Sasuke resumed the kiss, nibbling on Naruto's lips, thoroughly exploring each at a leisurely pace, Naruto closed his eyes and tried to remember why he was resisting.

"I love kissing you," Sasuke whispered without breaking contact. He moved to place bites along the strong jaw.

"You excite me so much." He took Naruto's hand and pressed it to his full erection. Naruto trembled.

"I want to fuck you." Naruto whimpered. "And I want you to fuck me."

Naruto yanked his hand back and his chest heaved as though he'd been running laps with Lee.

Sasuke sighed. "You're killing me here." He smirked and reached around to grasp two ass cheeks. "You realize that you are forcing me to do two things that no Uchiha in the entire history of Uchihas has ever had to do."

He kept talking even though Naruto was pressed as far back against the tree as he could get.

"I'm certain that I'm the first Uchiha _ever_ to have to seduce someone into bed."

He stepped back and sighed again. "And it goes without saying that I'm the first to actually fail."

"Sasuke…"

The brunette leaned on one arm next to Naruto. "I'll bet none of your other partners had to try this hard."

Naruto looked down. "None of the others had my heart dangling over a meat grinder."

Sasuke tilted his head. "I would never again treat a bond…," he struggled for words that conveyed his feelings, but didn't say more than Naruto would be willing to hear.

"I've lost a lot." He shrugged. "I've thrown a lot away. But I've …"

Naruto struggled from his position between Sasuke and the tree.

"I don't know this Sasuke. The Sasuke that…" He waved his hand to indicate the space between them.

"I only know this Sasuke." And he pulled his shirt off his left shoulder.

Sasuke looked at the exposed flesh. As he studied the tattoos on the left side of Naruto's body, he realized he'd never seen Naruto without a shirt.

Just like his arm, flames crept up from his left hip along his torso culminating in a swirl of black fire encircling a fist sized pink scar just above the teen's heart.

Sasuke blanched. "Gods, Naruto. I'm so…" As he looked at it, the scar seemed larger than the universe, an impossibly wide barrier between him and Naruto.

Sasuke bowed his head. "I'm sorry I hurt you."

"It's not that." Naruto waived his hand in dismissal. "I did this to remind myself that you can't live another person's life. And you can't make someone care if they don't. I did this bec…"

"You made me happy," Sasuke interrupted, looking Naruto in the eye.

Naruto just stared at him wide eyed.

"We laughed and played and trained as if we had futures, while my family was dead." Sasuke looked toward the sky, remembering. "And their murderer was gallivanting around the countryside." He looked back at Naruto. "It felt like a betrayal that my anger and hatred were fading, that I was beginning to enjoy life again.

"Then he came back and ignored me," Sasuke continued. "I had been too pathetic to kill. He killed my ninety year old grandmother and my two year old cousin, but not me."

Sasuke touched the scar. "You had surpassed me and he came back to Konoha for you. He made me feel worthless, insignificant, a silly child. I realized that I had forgotten what got me through those first years after the massacre, that burning hatred and wish for revenge. I had forgotten what I'd decided was my purpose. The pain had suddenly returned with a vengeance. I couldn't live among happy people anymore."

"But to be truly honest," he said as Naruto just watched him, "looking back, the real reason I left was to leave all the pain behind."

"Did you?"

"Eventually, just not in the way I originally intended. But what I want you to understand is that I never left to get away from you."

"I'm a coward, Sasuke." Naruto pushed his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I'm so fucking afraid of you, what you could do to me," Naruto said. "I've spent the last three years training and just…getting up each day until this village needs me to die for it."

"Naruto…"

"That was easier than this. Don't you think that's funny? I'm less afraid of Kyuubi, Akatsuki, Orochimaru, Itachi and the whole Sound contingent than I am of you?"

Sasuke just looked at Naruto for a moment.

"You think it's any different for me? I was less afraid of a bargain for death with Orochimaru than I was of…living my life. It was easier to just agree to die than to try to start over, to care again.

"But I changed. When the three years were up and Orochimaru wanted to do the transfer, I found that I wanted to live." He gripped Naruto's chin. "I chose life and then I came here because I thought this is the only place in the whole world where another human being cared about me." His grip turned into a caress against a whiskered cheek.

"You, you're the only one who sees and cares about the real me. Without you, I have nothing, no one."

"I was waiting for someone to come and tell me that you were dead," Naruto murmured.

"And then what, Naruto?"

He sighed and his eyes closed. "I wouldn't have wanted to live anymore."

"So I ask you, what's the difference? Would life be better or worse if we spend what time we have together?

"Listen," Sasuke continue into the silence. "I don't know what you think I'm doing here. I can tell you that I'm not using you for bait; Itachi is coming one way or another.

"What I can't get anywhere else in this entire world is someone who feels about me the way I believe you do."

He pulled Naruto's shirt back up over his shoulder and smoothed the fabric with his hands. "I don't want you to do anything you really don't want to, but Naruto, as for me, I just don't want to be alone anymore."

After placing a brief kiss on his lips, Sasuke turned and walked back toward the house.


	9. - Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!

Naruto came into the house looking for Sasuke. It was his turn to fix dinner and he wanted to see what Sasuke wanted to eat.

He knew he'd been acting differently since Sasuke had talked to him two days ago. In truth, Naruto had been thinking a lot and fighting an increasingly useless battle with himself.

Gods, he wanted to take a chance on this. He'd been so in love with Sasuke for such a long time. And the idea of having someone in his life, caring for someone, having someone care for him was beyond tempting. But the fear of heartache held him paralyzed.

The pain he'd felt after Sasuke had left three years ago had almost incapacitated him. The only way he had been able to continue was to set a goal, to narrow his days, his thoughts to next steps, small actions. For Naruto this had been Sakura's request for Sasuke's retrieval. But he’d had to keep that goal as more like a to-do list item. He couldn’t really think about it; he dared not look too closely at it, because it had been unreasonable.

He supposed in that way, he and Sasuke had been alike. In order to overcome devastating loss, they had each latched on to purposes beyond themselves, indifferent to the irrationality of ultimate costs of those decisions.

Yes, he could probably bring Sasuke back to Konoha, but he couldn't make Sasuke come _home_ ; no one but Sasuke could do that. Naruto couldn't think about the fact that if he managed to overpower Sasuke and drag him back, the only way to keep him would be in a prison cell, which would have killed both of them.

When he'd learned of the reward in Sound, he'd been forced to come face to face with the truth. At that point, a new purpose had emerged; his own death, or as he preferred to think of it, his sacrifice. He knew that was his true lot in life; what his father had done for humanity and what his father expected him to do for humanity. And because of his lineage, the genetic legacy of his incomparable father, he had the ability to sacrifice on a grand scale, buying, perhaps, more peace than anyone else alive.

So he trained. And trained, and trained. And planned for the unforeseen. If his purpose was to be mankind's salvation, then he'd be the best damned salvation they'd ever seen. He would not fail at this as he had failed his friend. If he couldn’t protect his friend, he’d protect his friend’s world.

But he had a human heart and had a secret wish to tell his story, a yearning to not be forgotten. Of course, he knew that no one really cared about his story, but he could tell it anyway, in ink and flesh.

He hadn't let Kyuubi heal Sasuke's wound for many reasons. He needed to study it in the aftermath, his thirteen year old self trying to understand the emotions that could cause the annihilation of the only bond either boy had.

He'd also felt that he deserved this thing, this gaping hole in his life; he'd failed his first, his only friend, and part of his punishment was the constant visual reminder of that failing.

And, as he'd explained to Sasuke, he needed to remind himself of the cold hard facts of life; that just because you loved someone was no promise that they would love you in return.

So in every village, every little hamlet he'd visited with Jiraiya, he'd found the local tattoo artist and performed his penance, his self flagellation. He'd found a measure of peace through this. No, that wasn't right. He had not found peace; he'd found numbness. He'd found a deadness of soul that was just waiting for his body to catch up.

But his friend had come back, bringing with him a tidal wave of feelings and emotions and this bothersome, terrifying glimmer of hope, things that Naruto had thought no longer existed inside of him.

Was his friend right? There was no denying that bond was there and Naruto was in anguish now. If something happened to Sasuke, would it hurt less than if they became involved?

As he came through the kitchen, he spied Sasuke sitting on the couch, a pile of laundry next to him. Naruto watched as the older teen folded items and stacked them on the table in front of him.

As he stood out of sight, the scene suddenly morphed. He pictured the teenager sitting just like this, alone, performing this mundane chore week after week in a dim, dank cell in Sound.

This vision was followed by a reminder, something long forgotten, that made his breath catch and his eyes burn.

A human heart beat in Sasuke's chest!

As a child, though his friend had never shared it with anyone, Naruto had instinctually known of Sasuke's pain. That pain, so familiar, like looking in a mirror, had been part of what bonded Sasuke to him.

But his friend had always been so independent, so strong. Even the adults in the village had seen Sasuke managing his days, showing up for class, performing in a calm, competent manner and had let themselves be lulled into a kind of mass blindness. For those who didn't look too closely, it was easy to forget that Sasuke's life was an absolute tragedy. Another common thread between them, he supposed.

A memory surfaced. He remembered walking home on the hill up from the lake. Sasuke had been sitting alone down on the dock. Naruto remembered thinking how small his teammate looked with the vast expanse of water and immensity of blue sky as his background. He'd somehow known at that moment that Sasuke was lonely and further, that he didn't want to be. It had been an unspoken foundation of their friendship.

Since Sasuke had left, however, Naruto had been able to bury the pain of existence under missions and demons and plans for his own end until he'd forgotten that the words 'alone' and 'lonely' even existed.

Until Sasuke had reminded him two days ago.

As he looked again at his friend, he saw the years stretch out behind them, years in which a small, dark haired boy toiled, _alone_ , folding his laundry. Sat at a table, _alone_ , eating meals in silence. Put himself to bed each night, _alone_ , no human voice to wish him goodnight. Roused himself every morning, _alone_ , just to start the same routine over again, beginning and ending each day in these cold, empty rooms with the echoes of his solitary footsteps his only companion.

He'd been afraid to trust Sasuke's motives up until now, because he had forgotten about this thing called ‘loneliness.’ But suddenly, his own fears vanished as Sasuke's words hit home, "… _I_ _don't want to be alone anymore…_ " " _I don’t want to be alone_ …" "… _anymore_ …" _Lonely_ …

His precious friend. So determined, so brave. So alone. Naruto knew what it was like to be alone every day, every night. But it had to have been so much harder to pick oneself up and go through the motions of the day after a tragedy such as Sasuke's. To want to cry like the small child he'd been, to want someone to take it all away and care for him, but instead to have to find a place inside that no child, no person, should ever have to find, to set oneself in stone and go on.

And Sasuke had done that, he'd gone on. The heaviness of loneliness had outweighed his fear of another loss and after a time, he had, bravely, sprouted tender shoots that reached toward the light of other bonds.

As he watched the solitary brunette sitting in the utter silence of his empty Uchiha home, placing his boxers in precise stacks, feelings of longing and affection surged in Naruto's chest. He had an overwhelming urge to hold Sasuke and vow that he'd never leave him alone again.

Naruto smirked to himself. If he hadn't known it before, he knew it as an absolute fact now; it was a simple truth, if Sasuke needed something from him, he'd move mountains to give it to him.

Taking a moment to ensure his composure was intact, he strolled into the room and plopped onto the couch close enough that their thighs touched.

Sasuke slid him a sideways glance and shook out a sleeveless black tee.

Naruto reached out and ran his finger down a stack of all black boxers, conspicuous next to another stack of shorts in an eye watering array of colors.

"Tch. Boring."

"It's underwear. Perhaps the part of the word… _under_ …has escaped your notice." Sasuke added another plain black tee shirt to a stack of plain black tee shirts. "No one is supposed to see them."

Naruto laughed. "Well, that's not very optimistic."

"Hn." Sasuke picked up a pair of Naruto's boxers you could almost hear for their loudness. "Do your lovers actually find these stimulating?"

"Hey, gimme those. They're my lucky shorts." He made a grab for them.

Sasuke held them out of reach.

"Lucky?" His lips thinned. "I promise you that I don't want to hear this story."

Naruto twisted and leaned far enough toward the boxers so that he had Sasuke pinned to the back of the couch.

"They are lucky," he whispered. "I was wearing these the day you came back." He maneuvered himself so that he was facing Sasuke, then he traced a finger down the firm chest before him.

"Naruto…" The cotton fabric fell from Sasuke's fingers.

Naruto swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment. "I want to try…" He shrugged.

"Are you sure?"

"Tch. Of course not." He slid his hand up Sasuke's arm and over his shoulder to wrap around the back of his neck. "But," he said, his face red, "I love you."

He continued over Sasuke's intake of breath. "I always have and I think I probably always will." He pressed their foreheads together. "Whether we're together or not."

"Naruto…" Sasuke whispered and reached up to cup Naruto's face. After a moment, he leaned up and pressed his lips to Naruto's cheek, his chin, his temple, his eyelids.

But as he moved to cover Naruto's lips, Naruto moved to sit comfortably. He gripped Sasuke's hips and pulled him around so that he was straddling his lap.

"Relax. Close your eyes."

Sasuke only hesitated a moment and then complied. After a few moments he felt the atmosphere around him change; felt it charged with Naruto's chakra. He sighed as the air around him compressed his body. Then the space around him heated and shimmered with a subtle vibration. He found his mind emptying as Naruto enclosed him in a cocoon of warmth and weightlessness and gentle massage.

Then his eyes flew open as he felt a chakra, not his own, invading his body. Slender tendrils of current and a more intense heat slid through his limbs, working inexorably south. One particularly intense streamer of lava-like sensation slithered down his spine. Several others wound through his abdomen and wrapped themselves around the nerves and blood vessels inside his lower regions.

"Relax. I won't hurt you."

"That's no…aah…" Sasuke couldn't even choke out a complete sentence.

Naruto began an increasingly aggressive assault until Sasuke's chest was heaving like a bellows and he was crying out continuously.

Finally Naruto swelled the tendrils he'd speared through Sasuke's body and then sent a gentle pulse of energy.

Sasuke threw his body backward and choked out and almost pained cry as his body seized and gasping sobs left his mouth.

Finally he hung completely limp, his arms hanging at his sides, his head lolling, his mouth hanging open.

Naruto gently brought Sasuke to rest against his chest and wrapped his arms around the twitching body. He stroked dark strands and brushed his lips along the sweating brow, soothing and murmuring gentle syllables.

Finally, Naruto worried that he'd gone too far. "Sasuke, are you okay? Did I hurt you?"

"Kami-fucking-sama. Do they know what the Sages have been teaching you?" Sasuke tried to lift his cheek from Naruto's chest and then seemed to give up the effort.

Naruto imagined the toads teaching him something like that and couldn't help but chuckle.

"I didn't learn that from them."

"How many other guys have you done that to?"

"Huh?"

"I'm wondering how much competition is going to be coming here to kill me to get you back. Or how much competition I'm going to have to kill to keep you."

"I've never done anything like that before."

"Hn."

"It's true. What can I say? You inspire me."

Sasuke finally pulled himself into an upright position. He shoved his fingers into the hair at Naruto's temple.

"Sleep with me." He found that he wasn't surprised to see the smile on Naruto's face slip. He realized several things about their encounter. They both still had all their clothes on, Naruto hadn't actually touched him and the pleasure had remained one sided.

His first inclination was to push, but he stopped himself. Naruto had said he wanted to try. And he'd told Sasuke that he'd loved him. He'd come a long way toward reaching for what Sasuke was offering.

But even he knew that once they went into that bedroom and Naruto gave himself over completely, there was no going back for either of them.

He pushed to his feet. "Go ahead and make your rounds. You know where my room is if you want." He bent over and kissed Naruto's forehead. "If not I'll see you in the morning."

++

The next few days, Sasuke kept his distance. He found that it was important to him that Naruto come to him freely and willingly. So during the day, they trained and worked on the property, but Sasuke didn't pressure Naruto for as much as a kiss.

At the end of each of the next few days, Sasuke would say, "You know where my room is. You're welcome to sleep there if you want." Then he would leave Naruto to choose.

Three mornings he was disappointed, but not surprised to wake alone.

The fourth evening just as he folded the blankets back on this bed, Naruto stepped into his room.

Naruto had been wrestling with this decision for days. He first thought that it was one thing to want to take care of Sasuke, to hold him, to protect him, to take Sasuke's heart in his hands; it was another altogether to give his heart over to Sasuke.

Then he admitted that Sasuke already had his heart, and had since Naruto was seven years old. It was the fear of giving Sasuke so much power over him that was holding him back.

As he watched Sasuke walk away from him the fourth night in a row, and felt his body start to move on its own, his heart beat harder, his breath come faster, sweat break out on his whole body, he realized Sasuke already had that as well.

Sasuke just didn't know it.

And so he had one last secret, one last weakness that he'd been hiding and the thought of showing it to Sasuke scared him. When this secret came out, there would be no more hiding or lying to either of them.

He came to stand in front of Sasuke and stared at his feet.

"I have another tattoo," he blurted out. Then he winced and scrunched his shoulders.

"Okay." Sasuke shrugged. When Naruto just stood there staring at the floor, Sasuke moved to push at Naruto's shirt. Naruto held his hands.

"What? Is it a naked girl? Some guy's name?"

"I wish," Naruto muttered looking at the ceiling. Then he sighed, "Ah, screw it," and let go of Sasuke's hands.

Sasuke studied him for several moments and then finished pushing the shirt off his shoulders. As the garment fluttered to the ground, he raked his gaze up and down the muscled torso. He nodded as he saw more of the flames that he already knew were there.

Sasuke reached out and traced a streamer of black fire that undulated from Naruto's hipbone passed his left nipple, joining with the flames from his left arm to culminate in a swirl around the scar.

"I like them," he said and shrugged. But Naruto still wasn't looking at him. The blond sighed again and looked once more at the ceiling.

Then he turned around.

Sasuke gasped as he saw an explosion of color from one shoulder to the other, down thick muscle to the small of the tan back, disappearing into Naruto's pants. It was...flames from a more vibrant palette? Or…feathers?

No! It was tails!

Yes. Nine orange and red tails, dramatically streaked and outlined with black and gold, fanned out from Naruto's left hip to spread across the entirety of the broad back. Without thought, he reached out and pulled the waistband of the pants back to see where the color stopped. It didn't.

"Naruto..."

The blond sighed loudly one more time and reached for the fastening of his pants. Sasuke's eyes widened more as the garment slid over Naruto's ass and down his legs to hit the ground. The burst of colors continued over the left cheek and went all the way down to his left ankle.

Sasuke squatted and reached out, mesmerized by what he was seeing.

The tails on his back were just one end of what was obviously a depiction of Kyuubi. The fox looked to be racing down Naruto's leg, but as Sasuke's inspection reached the crease where ass cheek met hamstring, he gasped again.

It wasn't just the demon. Just below where the fox's rear haunch and Naruto's left buttock fused, silver and gray mixed with the orange and gold. A snake!

Etched onto Naruto's leg was the demon fox, ferocious, with fangs and claws bared, locked in battle with an equally vicious looking snake. The demon had the malevolent looking creature in its mouth just below the scaly neck while the rest of the snake's muscular body was tangled around the furred shoulders and powerful haunch.

The snake's head stuck out of Kyuubi's maw far enough that the snake and fox were almost snout to snout, their gazes blazing at each other.

As he touched the lines reverently with the tips of his fingers once more, he saw more than ink and flesh. He felt a burning behind his eyes as he saw Naruto in a battle for his soul.

Naruto had used his body as a canvas onto which he could pour his conflicting emotions. On the front was his acknowledgement that he couldn't make Sasuke's choices. The highlighted scar, made by Sasuke's own fist, represented an effort to respect the choices his friend had made and to let him go.

On the back was Naruto's desperate need to never let Sasuke go, and further, to save him from the choices he'd made. It showed the pressing weight of Naruto's acute desire to protect his friend.

Naruto finally fidgeted and Sasuke realized he'd been staring open mouthed at the creation for some time, stunned by the artwork and sheer quantity of ink.

He looked slowly back up the length of the battle until he, once again, reached the tails and found Naruto rubbing his neck. Sasuke nodded to himself; this tattoo revealed everything that Naruto had been feeling over the last years. And denying for weeks.

Making sure his face was composed; he stood and turned Naruto by the elbow.

"I was planning to brand an Uchiha fan on your ass, but you've saved me the trouble."

Naruto closed his eyes and shoved his fingers through his hair. He opened his mouth to say...something, but was interrupted.

"I don't want to hear anymore from you on this. The battle is over." Sasuke circled Naruto once more, taking in the flames...Uchiha flames, he realized…on Naruto's chest, and the battle between Naruto and Orochimaru depicted on Naruto's back. "It's been over for years."

He completed his circuit and was standing again in front of the other teen, only much closer. "You're mine. Now shut up."

He narrowed his eyes and pulled his shirt off his shoulders. He took satisfaction when Naruto's eyes changed to a deep gold and his lips parted.

Then he jerked the buttons on his pants. Seconds later, he stood completely naked in front of Naruto.

'You've been making this too complicated." He reached down and grasped his hardening length. "I want you. You want me." He stroked himself slowly. "It's that simple."

Naruto's eyes were riveted on the movement of Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke stroked another few seconds and then reached out and shoved his hand under his pillow. When he brought his hand back, he was holding a new tube of lube.

"You said I wasn't optimistic…" Sasuke's lips pursed.

As sweat slid down Naruto's temple, Sasuke lifted one foot and placed it on the mattress beside his prey. Never breaking eye contact, he squeezed a small glob onto his fingers and reached behind himself.

Naruto's breathing became labored as he watched one of Sasuke's hands stroke the straining flesh of his erection, while the other hand penetrated his ass. He licked his lips as Sasuke groaned.

"Naruto…"

Naruto's world narrowed to a single drop of fluid growing at the tip of the pale hardness. As it became large enough to take a life of its own and begin a descent toward the floor, something in Naruto snapped.

He cried out and fell to his knees. He grasped Sasuke's hips and captured the slowly lengthening string on his tongue.

Sasuke stopped all movement and both males just stared at each other.

But Sasuke's taste was on Naruto's tongue now and his flesh was under his fingers. Sasuke, his Sasuke, the one person he'd loved nearly all his life. He closed his eyes and filled his mouth and all his other senses with nothing but this.

When Sasuke's knees buckled, Naruto held him up, never giving up the feel of hot velvety skin or the musky scent that was fogging his brain.

"Naruto… now…"

Naruto only comprehended enough to comply. He pressed Sasuke onto his back on the mattress.

Sasuke immediately wrapped his legs around the broad back. He tangled his fingers in blond hair and panted, "Do it."

Naruto's whole body was shaking. This wasn't his first time, or even his hundredth but he knew this time was going to change his life forever. For good or ill, he had no idea.

Sasuke wouldn't let him go slowly. As soon as he had himself positioned, the brunette shifted and tightened his leg muscles, joining their bodies completely in one motion, lest Naruto change his mind.

They both cried out and stilled, panting and shuddering. Then Naruto began to move. He gripped the hair at the back of Sasuke's head and with a dominating little yank, proceeded to devour his mouth. When Sasuke moaned and pulled Naruto's face closer with his own handfuls of blond hair, Naruto reached around and hooked his fingers over Sasuke's shoulders, using this new leverage to move his whole body. The bed squeaked and the mattress slid as Naruto did his best to meld their two bodies into one.

Jerking back so he could breathe, he buried his head in Sasuke's shoulder, keeping their bodies close. He could feel the slide of his skin over the slippery hardness between them, could hear Sasuke moaning and panting. He bent his knees and changed the angle slightly. Sasuke immediately tensed and cried out.

His fingernails dug grooves into Naruto's back and that added intensity caused the burning low in the blond's belly to constrict and then flair out, shooting up his spine and out his extremities.

He raised his head and watched Sasuke, whose head was thrown back in a silent scream. The temptation of the exposed throat was too much and he attacked it, biting and sucking until the storm was passed. Then he just rubbed his lips back and forth trying to memorize the taste and feel of the pale skin.

After many boneless moments, he started to pull away. Sasuke growled and locked his legs around Naruto's back.

"No, I'm never letting you go."

Naruto's lips twitched.

"It'll be interesting explaining to the old hag that you have to go with me on all my missions because your ass is attached to my dick."

"Shut up."

Naruto dropped his head back onto Sasuke's shoulder and let the post coital chemicals empty his brain for now. It was too late to fret anyway, the deed was done. Right now he let himself be aware of nothing but the feel of Sasuke's fingertips sliding up and down his back.

 


	10. - Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!
> 
> NOTE!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> SPOILER - Rant on Issue 700 is at the end of this chapter in the Chapter Notes - Skip if you haven't read the end of Naruto yet and don't want to be spoiled. Or skip because you don't want to read my rant...s'all good.

Sasuke woke slowly, a sense of being watched tickling his senses. He opened his eyes and found Naruto sitting cross legged on the bed watching him.

"Hi," he said, remembering Naruto falling asleep on top of him the night before.

"Hey."

"Everything okay?"

"The sound of your heartbeat woke me up."

Sasuke blinked. "I'm sorry."

"No, no!" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and Sasuke felt a stirring in his groin. "It's just never happened to me before. I've never slept near another person."

This was interesting. Sasuke sat up and faced Naruto in a similar position.

"Never? What about missions?" He rubbed a finger on a tanned knee.

"My missions are solo. The last time I went out with a team was with Team Seven. When I do go out with…well, anyway, I don't sleep." He grinned. "It's a bad idea to sleep around Hunters; kind of like dropping your soap in the shower."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "They hurt you?"

"Oh. Naw. I've never...uhm…been with anyone I didn't want to." Naruto scooted closer.

"Sasuke, I liked it," he said solemnly.

Sasuke leaned back on his arms and studied him. "I meant every word. You're mine now." He cocked his head. "Are you okay with that?"

"I've been yours since I was seven years old." Naruto laughed gently. "Whether you wanted me or not."

Sasuke tilted his head. "I wondered if that was the battle I was fighting." He pulled the blond closer. "Then can you let yourself be happy about it?"

"Yeah."

Sasuke's 'Hn' was muffled as he found his tongue in a battle with another.

++

Naruto had just rinsed the last of the shampoo from his hair when the shower door was ripped open. Sasuke crowded into the stall with him and immediately began running his hands up and down the slippery body.

"You're a fucking mink, Uchiha." Naruto stepped closer.

"You're complaining?" Sasuke looked slightly affronted.

"Fuck no. I'm getting laid more than any twelve guys I know."

"It's your own fault," Sasuke sniffed, "for being so..." He growled and bit Naruto's shoulder muscle.

"Anyway," he continued, "I feel duty-bound to obliterate the memories of each and every one of your previous lovers," he sucked on a hard bicep, "one at a time." He raised a brow. "How many did you say there were?"

Naruto grinned broadly. "Oh, I don't know. Forty or fifty thousand."

Sasuke nodded. "Shall we shoot for year's end?"

Naruto laughed. "Whatever you say; you're the genius."

"Precisely. Now shut up and put your hands between my legs."

A hundred years, or seconds, later, Sasuke became aware that he was seated in the shower, propped against one wall and in that moment he knew with a sudden and startling clarity that he would never, ever get enough of Naruto.

++

An impossibly fast blur caught Sakura's attention. It was quickly followed by a second, just as fast, blur.

Sasuke. And Naruto.

Then she sensed the intensity of the adrenalin and… Emotions? Tension? It filled her with unease. Something was wrong.

Her only thought being that Sasuke might be in some kind of trouble, she instinctively masked her chakra and bolted after the pair.

When she caught up, the young men were facing each other in a stand of trees. Both were panting and sweating.

She perched on a branch, hidden, trying to determine if this was more than just a spar.

Naruto leapt at the dark haired ninja. Sasuke's reflexes were incredible, however and he gracefully tossed the blond some distance away. Naruto twisted easily and launched himself again toward the brunette.

"You're not getting away this time."

"Hn."

The struggle continued for several minutes. Sakura bit her knuckles, still undecided if this was a friendly match, or if Sasuke was trying to get away. The emotions she felt coming from the two didn't feel like training. In spite of her arguments to the contrary, she knew that no one in the village could beat Naruto, probably not even Sasuke.

Her heart started pounding when a Naruto clone popped behind Sasuke and grabbed him from behind. Sasuke relented and stood, proud, stoic.

"Alright, you've caught me. What are you going to do?"

The larger teen strolled over to the captive ninja. Sakura could see the look on the whiskered face, the way he licked his lips, and her stomach churned. "No!"

The wind picked up and swirled around Sasuke, filling the space between his sleeveless tank and his skin. Then Naruto's chakra covered hands hovered over the black fabric, turning it to ashes in their wake. Sasuke just glared.

Sakura was beside herself, unsure if she should do something. Sasuke would not thank her for coming to his rescue if he could rescue himself. But could he rescue himself?

She then watched as Sasuke reached behind his head, grabbed the clone by the neck and yanked hard enough to make it disappear. He moved into Naruto's space and took the blond to the ground. The two rolled around grunting, one on top, and then the other.

It seemed to Sakura that Sasuke was holding his own. She would not interfere unless necessary, her standing with Sasuke was too important to offend him unnecessarily.

The two were facing each other again; sweat pouring off their bodies. Sasuke was in the hold of another clone.

"You are so unimaginative, you moron. Clones again?"

"Why not stick with what works?" With that the blond prowled forward, and to Sakura's horror, yanked the tie on his opponent's gi bottoms and jerked them to the ground.

Sasuke was now naked and glaring ferociously at his attacker.

Three more clones popped into being and surrounded the older teen. "See what I mean? Clones are great." The four extra blonds then dragged the struggling brunette to the ground. Naruto was on top of him in a moment. The four clones disappeared as Naruto reached down and undid the ties on his own bottoms.

Sakura watched for another few seconds to see if Sasuke would free himself again. But their positions didn't change. His hands were on the tan shoulders, and his body was writhing, but Naruto was still on top, his pants around his thighs.

Screeching, she leapt into the clearing and infusing all her chakra to her hands, grabbed the blond by one arm and threw him as hard as she could. He slammed into a tree trunk and slumped to the ground.

She grabbed a stunned looking Sasuke and pulled him into her arms. "Hurry, before he gets up." But Naruto was already up and staring at her in shock.

"Sakura," Sasuke said.

"Are you okay? Can you help me? Maybe together we can take him. At least get him immobilized until we can get some Anbu here." She turned on Naruto, her hands full of weapons.

"You're a beast, a monster. I knew you were an animal, but this is the most unspeakable, most nauseating thing I've ever seen. You should be…"

"Sakura!" Sasuke yelled. Naruto wasn't moving; his head turned away, staring at the ground.

"Oh, my love." Sakura launched herself at the brunette. "I'm sorry I…"

"Stop it." He pushed her off him and strode over to Naruto.

He stopped in front of the blond and touched a tear on his cheek. Then he turned to face Sakura.

"I appreciate your concern." He leaned back into Naruto, grasped his hand and pulled a tan arm around his own chest. "However, I do not require your assistance."

Naruto reached down and grabbed the pants that had fallen to the ground and used the fabric to cover Sasuke as best he could. He then buried his head in pale shoulder blades.

Many emotions crossed her face, shock, horror, finally pain. With a sob, she turned and fled.

Sasuke turned and put his hand on a damp cheek.

"Naruto."

"I could be a monster. I don't want to be, but sometimes, I …" He looked into midnight eyes. "And I just want you so badly."

"Naruto," his voice gentle, Sasuke pulled him into an embrace and stroked the back of his head.

"Four clones. What was I thinking?" The bigger body shuddered. "You would have told me to stop, right? Did you tell me to stop?"

Sasuke pulled away and stepped back. "Naruto!" His tone was terse. "Make four clones. Hell, make ten."

Naruto stared at him for several seconds, and then, without hand signs, ten clones popped into existence.

"Grab me. All of you."

All ten clones timidly crowded around the brunette and tentatively reached out. "Grab me, damn it!"

Naruto watched as Sasuke narrowed his eyes and also, without hand signs, brought up a full body Chidori. All ten clones were gone in less than a second.

Naruto rushed him and pulled him into his arms.

"Sasuke." He buried his head in the dark strands. "Don't ever let me hurt you."

Sasuke wrapped his arms around the tan back and hugged him tight, wondering if the issue with Sakura was over for good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kishimoto's pile of crap ending has pretty much taken the wind out of my sails, but these stories have already been written so I will continue to post and hope that Naruto fans enjoy it.
> 
> I believe that a large number of readers are girls, so I want to say my piece on his ending. I really hated watching Sakura, a hero in her own right, ending up a mindless housewife with a swiffer and a moody-ass kid.
> 
> But the worst, AWFUL, thing that I want to stress to young girls is about Kishimoto's comments during the recent interview in which he said that Sakura would be a "bad woman" if she had switched from Sasuke to Naruto. Basically, he's saying that even if a man is trying to KILL her, she is a 'bad woman' if she leaves the man. AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL. If he was in front of me, I'd punch him in his face.
> 
> I won't even go into the portrayal of Naruto, who was once an orphan crying for attention, neglecting his own children, telling them that he's busy now and to just suck it up. YUCK YUCK YUCK.
> 
> I am horrified to think that for 15 years, young people read about heroes and in the end come to learn that true heroes abuse their women and neglect their children.
> 
> I like my endings better.


	11. - Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!

Sasuke sat on Naruto's chest and stroked himself. "Are you watching?"

Naruto nodded in rapt silence. He started to lift his hand and Sasuke slapped it away. "Uh uh. No touching. I want this to last longer than three seconds."

Naruto pouted for all of one second until the movement of Sasuke's fist up and down distracted him. He licked his lips.

"Stop that."

"But, Sasuke…" Naruto whined.

"You'll get your turn." He stroked himself several more times, his breath hitching. "I've been thinking about what you did before, about bringing ninja arts to bed."

Naruto's eyes widened.

"I'm not sure I can compete with you, but I, too, find myself inspired." He stopped for a second. "Now shut up and let me work here."

Naruto stilled and eagerly prepared to allow Sasuke to do whatever he wanted.

It was all he could do to keep his hands to himself and, indeed to keep from coming prematurely, when Sasuke finally found completion and came all over his chest and neck. "Sasuke, please."

The brunette swayed for several seconds, his hand wrapped limply around the base of his softening arousal.

Finally he looked down and eyed his handiwork lying in pools on the tan skin before him. He slid down and stretched out along the full length of Naruto's body. While resting his chin on one fist, he used the finger of his other hand to lazily trace through the puddles before him.

"Sasuke," Naruto whined again.

"Sh." Sasuke swiped a slippery finger across his lover's lips. It was enough to distract Naruto for several seconds.

As Naruto savored the taste and feel of his lover's release, Sasuke continued to rub his fingers in the white mess on Naruto's neck and chest. Sasuke made one final poke with a finger and Naruto's eyes flew wide open. His body had suddenly become lead.

"You fucking sealed me? With your cum? God _damn_ , but you're sneakier than a Rock Country Oinin."

Sasuke was no seal expert by any means, but he did know the one seal that Kabuto used in his surgery to keep his patients still so he could sew them up. Kabuto, the sadistic fuck, had used something that would restrain most ninja but not dull sensation. He'd known more than one ninja who'd had full blown, invasive surgery while completely conscious.

"Good thing I'm not the enemy. Although I don't suppose you'd find yourself in quite this position with the enemy."

"Actually, bastard, they were all enemies." Sasuke raised a brow. "Well, since they weren't Leaf," Naruto said, grinning, "technically, they were all enemies."

"All?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Is this a large number?"

"Large is such a relative term." Naruto grinned wider, relishing the opportunity to dish a bit of revenge for his current immobile state. "Speaking of relatives, I've been wondering if you don't have some out there somewhere."

Sasuke arched one eyebrow.

"Well, see, if we put all my…well, uh…anyway, if they were all in the same room, an observer might think they were at an Uchiha family reunion."

Sasuke leaned up. "And would this room be the size of our bathroom, or the Konoha meeting hall?"

"Er, well, I missed you a lot." Naruto grinned.

Sasuke raised a hand and shook his head. "I don't think I want to hear this. In fact, shut up."

"Dick."

"I have something else to ask." Sasuke crawled up so he could look down into Naruto's eyes, then he activated his Sharingan. "Let me in."

The smile fled the whiskered face. "No. Don't ask that."

"Why?"

"Kyuubi's in there. If something happened to you, it would kill me."

"Naruto, do you know why Orochimaru wanted my body? Specifically?" He watched Naruto bite his lip. "The Sharingan. Like half the universe, he wanted you, and knew that the Sharingan can control the demon."

"I do know that. Jiraiya told me."

"There you have it. The way I see it, we're made for each other. Now let me in. I'm not planning to engage him anyway. I've better things to do."

Naruto continued to gnaw on his lip. Sasuke speared his fingers through the silky hair and jerked the blond head backwards. Then he fastened his lips over a sensitive pulse point and sucked until Naruto was gasping and groaning.

"Let me in," he whispered.

"Huh?" When Sasuke looked at Naruto's eyes this time, they were unfocused.

"Look at me. I want to play."

"With my mind? That's not as sexy sounding as you might think, bastard."

He knew Naruto finally relented when the path in became clear to the tomoes in his eyes.

Faster than thought, Sasuke found himself inside Naruto's mind. The first thing of which he became aware, through every sense in his being, was the demon. The visualization of the seal presented itself as massive bars on a black, depthless cell. He studied it for a moment and then was surprised to hear a voice not Naruto's.

"An Uchiha. Delicious. Come closer," an impossibly low voice growled from beyond the barrier.

Sasuke flipped his middle finger in the direction of the cage and proceeded to look around. He wasn't sure exactly what he was looking for, but he hoped that with his blond's unwitting help, he'd find it.

Recently, a session of meditation was interrupted as his mind wandered to ways he could drive his lover crazy. When he'd remembered the mind-blowing experience with Naruto's chakra, he contemplated on how he could use his own ninja specialty in the bedroom. That's when he remembered what he'd learned about the limbic system in the brain and its role as a pleasure center.

The brain was something all Uchihas spent a fair amount of time studying since the Uchiha bloodline limit was in the eyes. Sasuke's study ended with the death of his family, but he had learned some things.

A trip to the family library and he read that parts of the limbic system played a role in sexual arousal. He also learned that electrical stimulation theoretically produced great pleasure. When he considered his ability to see the brain and his inborn skill with electricity, he decided that this whole process seemed made for him.

He was mildly bothered that this section of the book had a tattered ribbon marking its place and experienced a repulsed shiver when he imagined either of his parents finding this information interesting. Imagining Itachi's interest in it bothered him even more.

Now that he was in Naruto's mind, his plan was to keep the blond in a state of arousal and find the part of the brain that had the most activity. But as he reached his corporal hand, he found a decidedly deflated erection.

"Dobe, relax. It's fine."

"Are you sure? Is he bothering you?" Naruto asked in an anxious voice.

Sasuke growled and sent a gentle heat to his hand, using everything he'd learned about his lover to bring him back to hardness.

That was doing the trick. Naruto was panting now and he could see where he needed to go. A section ahead showed an increasing amount of electrical activity. While he kept his corporal hand busy, he studied the flickering mass before him. He reached out his visceral arm to the spot that seemed to be the center of the activity and stroked it with a finger. Naruto gasped again and almost closed his eyes.

"What the hell was that?"

"Did you like it?"

"Fuck, yeah."

"Good." Then Sasuke began to experiment with different spots and light touches of electricity. Soon Naruto was moaning continuously, and Sasuke thought he had the area mapped out fairly well for now.

Without breaking eye contact, he scooted forward and then lowered himself onto the now fully engorged length. He moved up and down several times until he found the angle and the speed that would best serve them both.

"Ack. Gods, are you trying to kill me?" Sasuke couldn't answer as he struggled to remain focused on his goal in spite of the sensation swamping his own brain.

Standing before the organ that was now vibrating, with flashes skittering across the surface and penetrating inward along the bright red arteries and bluish veins, he brought electricity to his hand and plunged it into what he had decided was the hypothalamus.

The reaction was instantaneous. Naruto howled and, breaking the seal, arched his body off the mattress. He grabbed Sasuke's hips in a bruising grip and held him pinned to his groin as he shuddered and jerked.

Sasuke was lying on Naruto just as they had started, his chin propped on one hand, the other playing with a pink nipple.

"Sasuke."

"Hm?"

"I love you."

Sasuke's mouth twitched. "That's just the endorphins talking."

"Yeah." At Sauke's raised brow he grinned. "And my dick. And my balls."

He traced the smirking lips. "And my heart. And my soul."

Sasuke licked the nipple nearest his mouth. "Does that mean all those are mine?"

Naruto pretended to frown. "The dick and balls, too?

"Especially those."

Naruto squirmed as Sasuke moved and sucked on the other nipple for a moment. "Tell you what, we can work out an arrangement. I'll come up with a sign-out system." He slid up and brushed Naruto lips with his own. "After all, I need them more than you do."

++

The incident Sakura witnessed in the forest pushed her a little over an edge. She waffled between absolute heartbreak over the loss of her beloved, to wondering if the situation was indeed what it had seemed to her and Sasuke was just protecting Naruto.

And if it wasn't, what was it? Male hormones? Surely nothing beyond lust; two people who cared about each other didn't beat each other into sexual encounters.

Then a thought occurred to her that made her lose sleep at night. Maybe Sasuke was afraid of Naruto. Maybe he was protecting the monster out of fear for his own safety.

She couldn't get it off her mind and found herself scanning the area for their chakra whenever she was out. She needed to see them together more to get a better understanding of the situation.

One thing was certain, if Naruto was mistreating her love…she clenched her fists until her gloves creaked…gods help him.

Sakura found many opportunities to watch the boys. They were always together and left the Uchiha district nearly every day for food shopping or training, and surprisingly, several times a week for tea at the same little tea house across town.

They could be seen walking side-by-side completely lost in conversation with each other. She would have been more resentful at the relaxed camaraderie that seemed to exist between them if not for the regular flair ups of…something, that she witnessed.

She watched them at the tea house from a distance. Sasuke sat across from Naruto, his look was intense. Naruto's head was dropped into his hands. Sasuke glared even harder. After several moments a small crash could be heard from farther inside the shop though she couldn't see what it was; the two males seemed to ignore it. Naruto's shoulders shook, and from the look on Sasuke's face, she suspected that the blond was crying.

After another moment, a feminine shriek was heard from elsewhere in the shop. Idly Sakura resolved to find a different tea shop for when she and Sasuke would eventually go out; this one obviously had vermin. She quickly dismissed this train of thought in favor of enjoying Naruto's obvious upset.

Just then the blond looked up and swiped at his red-rimmed eyes. He looked to be pleading with Sasuke, but dropped his head back into his hands at the absolutely venomous look from the brunette. Sasuke poked at the table viciously and Naruto nodded without looking up.

After another full minute during which Sasuke's face turned red and Sakura wondered why Naruto wasn't bursting into flames, the blond's head shot up. His eyes widened and then dropped closed while his fists clenched on the tabletop.

Finally he opened his eyes and glared at Sasuke, who now had a satisfied smirk on his face. Naruto slapped his hand on the tabletop and poofed out of site. Sasuke's smirk turned into a full-blown grin and he picked up his tea and sipped. He actually laughed aloud as Naruto poofed back, grabbed him by the elbow and poofed them both out of the teahouse.

Of course, if Sakura had been closer she wouldn't have been quite as satisfied over the exchange.

" _This'll be good practice. I'll put a chakra marker right here under me. See if you can trace a path through the water in the ground and find it." Naruto dropped his head into his hands and sent a spike of his chakra into the earth as a beacon for Sasuke to find._

_The brunette closed his eyes a moment to find his center and then opened them, ready to feel his way around the earth underneath them._

_A few seconds later, the teens heard a loud crash as Sasuke blew up a table on the other side of the shop. Naruto tried not to make his friend feel badly, but he couldn't help laughing at the ruckus twenty feet away._

_Sasuke poked the table. "Just stick the fucking marker back in the fucking ground and shut the fuck up!" He got an even more constipated look on his face and clenched his fists. Another several moments later and they heard a shriek from a lady sitting three tables away._

_As she looked around frantically for the source of the shock to her ass, Naruto was laughing so hard that tears were dripping from his chin. He chanced a glance from under his lashes and saw Sasuke glaring at him from across their table. "Concentrate. This would be really bad if you kill someone."_

_Sasuke face was transformed by the fiercest look yet and the table nearly vibrated with his effort. Suddenly Naruto's head shot up; Sasuke had found what he was looking for. In a travesty of Naruto's bedroom trick, Sasuke found a particularly sensitive part of the blond's anatomy and poked it with a sharp burst of his chakra. Second's later he caught the distinct aroma of sexual release._

" _Hey, bastard! What the hell?" Naruto frowned, trying to escape the wet spot in the front of his pants._

_Sasuke smirked._

" _Fine. Lesson's over." Naruto poofed home._

_Sasuke grinned and serenely picked up his tea cup. Two seconds later, he laughed as Naruto poofed back and jerked him up by the elbow and took them home for sweet revenge._

++

As Sakura continued to stalk the pair, she wondered if the two went to the teahouse to try to come to terms after a fight or when they were pissed at each other. The times she spied them there seemed the most antagonistic.

Like earlier today, they were sitting across from each other at a small outdoor table, and they were obviously arguing. Although she couldn't hear them, they were leaning toward each other, their eyes blazing.

Naruto stabbed his finger toward Sasuke. Sasuke crossed his arms and turned away, then abruptly turned back, poking his finger onto the table top. He continued by holding his hands up and ticking items off on his fingers.

Naruto looked triumphant for a moment until Sasuke tilted his head and said something else. Naruto slumped and Sasuke raised his arm and pointed down the road. The two got up and Naruto followed the brunette. After a moment he started making faces behind Sasuke's back. Sasuke whirled around and glared. He said something and Naruto rolled his eyes. After throwing his hands in the air, he grabbed his crotch and made a lurid gesture. Then the two were out of sight.

As with the other encounters, she would have been sorely disappointed if he had been privy to the conversation, as well.

" _I gave you the last two blow jobs."_

" _Yes, but you topped the last three times."_

" _No, I didn't."_

" _Yes, you did. The training grounds after lunch," Sasuke ticked on his fingers. "And this morning in bed."_

" _Ha, see twice."_

" _You've already forgotten the porch rail last night."_

_Naruto's face fell. "Oh, yeah."_

" _Now let's go." Sasuke pointed toward home. "You're a blow job behind."_

_Naruto followed and stuck his tongue out at the back of Sasuke's head._

" _I saw that." Sasuke whirled and poked Naruto in the chest. "For that, I'm topping tonight, too."_

_Naruto threw his hands in the air and rolled his eyes. "Fine, you know you can't handle this," he grabbed his crotch, "anyway."_


	12. - Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!

The Twinkle sisters sent a message to Naruto. Their whole house was in an upset.

It seemed that, in some circles, word was spreading that Naruto would likely be the next Hokage. There was a sudden interest in the orphanage as a few shrewd, forward-thinking people realized that these orphans would be the Hokage's favored children. Two families had shown up looking to adopt a child and their only criterion was which ones Naruto liked best.

No one had shown interest before and the group had been enjoying living as a family for several years. The idea of being separated from each other upset everyone.

So the sisters had talked and wondered if Naruto would help them adopt all the children currently in residence at the orphanage.

Naruto had been so excited and had worked with Tsunade to put the necessary paperwork in place to continue his financial support until the children were grown. Sasuke had gone a step further and offered a building within the Uchiha neighborhood that they could make their home.

They were visiting the sisters with this offer when they noticed that Jomei was obviously unhappy.

"The sisters tell me that you're going to be a family," Naruto said to Jomei as the three males sat halfway up the tallest tree on the property.

"Yeah," he said unenthusiastically.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, neither sure how to proceed in light of the boy's sullen answer.

After several moments, Jomei looked at Sasuke. "Where did you go when you ran away? What was it like?"

Sasuke felt sick at the thought of this small boy running away. "You don't want to stay here? Be part of the family?"

Jomei shrugged. "They want me to."

After a couple of minutes of silence during which Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other, one silently asking the other if he understood, anxiety filled Jomei's face. "They said I would be the man of the family."

"I see," Sasuke said, although he really didn't.

After another minute, Jomei spoke again. "Do I have to get a job? And fight mean guys?"

In his relief, Sasuke put his arm around the boy's shoulders. "When they asked you to be the man of the family, they didn't mean the father. They meant a brother."

That didn't seem to make the boy feel any better.

Naruto said, "You know families can have many men. Maybe I could be one in yours?"

Jomei's face lit. Relief was clear in his expression, so Naruto continued, pulling a scroll out of his weapons pouch.

"I'll take care of the job part and the mean guys and, for anything else, I'll give you this." He performed some hand seals and all three watched as a glow surrounded the rolled up paper for several seconds and then faded. "Every time you open this, a clone will appear to help you when I can't be here."

Jomei took the scroll and looked as though he might cry with relief.

"May I give you one, too? Be a part of your family?" Sasuke asked. He didn't think the boy would ever call on him over Naruto, but felt a need to be a part of this.

Jomei cocked his head and studied Sasuke for a moment, then held his hand out.

That very evening, Naruto found Sasuke standing on the porch staring at the ground, distracted.

"What's up?"

"Jomei called my clone."

"Really?"

Sasuke replayed the encounter for Naruto.

After locking himself in the bathroom, Jomei unrolled Sasuke's scroll.

"Is it hard to be a brother?" he asked as they sat on the tile, cross legged, facing each other.

"It's the easiest thing there is. Like breathing or blinking."

Jomei just looked at him.

"You know, nothing's changing. You've been a brother all along. When you hold Sari's hand as she walks down the steps. When you read to the boys. When you pull Mei's hair and hide her brush. Those are the things brothers do," Sasuke's clone continued. "What's important to remember is that, no matter what, this family will always love you."

After several minutes of silence, Jomei spoke again.

"Your brother killed your family, didn't he?"

Sasuke's clone nodded.

"Do you still love him?"

"Yes. I wish I understood what he did, but yes, I still do."

Jomei called Sasuke's clones several times over the next few weeks. As it turned out, Jomei felt a connection to Sasuke because they both had lost their families at about the same age. He saw Sasuke living a happy life after the loss and had endless questions about how Sasuke had gotten there, about how to move on.

Several times, Naruto found Sasuke with his eyes rimmed in red.

"Do you want me to ask him to stop calling you?"

"No!" Sasuke answered quickly.

Each time Jomei called on him, he thought of his own brother and the relationship they'd had. The Uchiha boys had been so close to each other up until the very morning of the massacre.

What he was developing with Jomei was a shadow of that, but even so, he couldn't imagine taking the road Itachi had taken.

And because he would never harm the small boy or his family, the doubts that had been growing inside him firmed. Was he so different from his brother, or was there more to Itachi's story?

He was surprised to find that these doubts, instead of frustrating him, were giving him peace. For years, when he took the evidence at face value, the world had seemed insane, and unfair, and unreliable.

Maybe, though, he just didn't have all the information and in fact, the world did still make sense and family could be counted on.

The only downside that Sasuke could see to this double duty he was pulling as both Naruto's family as well as Jomei's, was the new nickname that Naruto had for him.

"I am not a fucking marshmallow," Sasuke snapped.

"Okay," Naruto said, smiling gently as he pressed his lips to Sasuke's brow.

++

Sakura found them in the forest again.

As she crept up on them she was inordinately pleased to see that they were both completely clothed and that Naruto was flat on his back. Sasuke had his knee on Naruto's chest and his palm on the blond forehead. Naruto attempted to raise his head but Sasuke growled and shoved it back onto the ground.

She flushed and her breath caught when Sasuke straddled Naruto and used his other hand to free his erection. He leaned down until it brushed Naruto's lips.

"Suck!"

Naruto clamped his lips together.

"Open up now!" Sakura could feel Sasuke's chakra levels rise threateningly from where she sat.

Naruto barely had his lips apart when Sasuke flexed his hips and thrust. The blond narrowed his eyes and Sakura saw the whites of his teeth.

Sasuke gripped the blond hair and growled again. "Bite me and I'll Chidori your ass from here to next Tuesday."

Naruto must have relented because Sasuke resumed thrusting. The prone teen struggled slightly and coughed a couple of times as Sasuke thrust past his gag reflex, but the brunette didn't seem to care about Naruto's comfort or lack thereof. He just pumped his hips and jerked the head in his hands in a quick rhythm.

Finally the blond whimpered and thrust his own hips.

"I'm busy here. Take care of yourself." Naruto closed his eyes and reached into his own pants. He began stroking himself and his moans joined Sasuke's harsh panting.

After several minutes of grunting and snarling, Sasuke pulled out of Naruto's mouth. He yanked the blond head forward with one hand and stroked himself to completion with the other, shooting strings of white fluid all over the whiskered face in his grasp.

Sakura watched as Naruto finished his own ministrations and the two poofed out of the clearing.

She sat back in contemplation. What she had just witnessed was crude, violent and from her vantage point, without feeling.

Certainly she had been aware of encounters like this over the years; more than she cared to, in fact. But she acknowledged that she was in a male world, and more, a male world built on a foundation of violence.

Actually there was damned little tenderness to be found. She and Ino had shed many tears together as they despaired of ever living the stuff of their teenage girl daydreams. Certainly none of the males of her acquaintance seemed remotely capable of filling these fantasies.

Except Sasuke, of course. He'd always been different. She could never recall him being crass or insensitive to her female sensibilities. Of course she had not seen him in years, but could not imagine him taking a piss in her presence, or talking about his sexual conquests in front of her as if she wouldn't mind hearing a spirited debate about the virtues of a blow job over a tight pussy.

But now she began to get an inkling that maybe Sasuke was, in some ways, a real guy after all. And maybe real guys needed other guys on whom they could vent their baser urges, allowing them to treat their women with more tenderness.

She admitted to herself that having Sasuke yank her head around by the hair, fucking her mouth until she choked and then coming all over her face had no appeal. It certainly wasn't an act of love, or even, for that matter, of affection. That much was abundantly clear in the encounter she had just witnessed.

She assured herself that if she gave Sasuke the time to take out whatever aggression he harbored, probably rooted in his relationship with Itachi, on the idiot blond, it wouldn't be long before he was free of his demons and would desire the softness a woman, namely Sakura, could provide.

++

Naruto and Sasuke leaned side by side against the largest tree, sharing a canteen of water.

Sasuke had his head back against the bark while Naruto used a small twig to scratch light spirals into the dry skin of his thigh.

"You gonna tell me?"

Sasuke sighed and tilted his head in Naruto's direction. He shrugged, knowing it was useless to tell his friend that there was nothing to tell.

Naruto nodded. "It's okay either way. But I want you to know that there's nothing you can tell me that'll make me..." He lifted one shoulder.

"Itachi's closer."

Naruto nodded.

"What if," Sasuke tried to clear the tightness in his throat, "what if I don't want to kill him anymore?"

Naruto lifted one shoulder. "Then don't."

"It's just that, what I really want is..." He hesitated.

"Answers?" Naruto supplied.

"How did you know that?"

"It's what I'd want." Naruto shrugged. "None of it makes any sense. I remember what you had with him. He was devoted to you. I'd want to know what could make a devoted brother do what he did."

Sasuke had turned and was leaning sideways on the trunk of the tree, facing his companion. "I really thought he was. Devoted that is. It was like a switch was flipped."

He moved again and was now pulling blades of grass from the ground one at a time. "What happened to him? And why did he really leave me alive? To kill him? What sense does that make? If he wants to be dead, he certainly doesn't need me to accomplish it. What if...what if it's all wrong and there's stuff I don't know. Maybe something terrible happened to him. Hell, maybe he didn't really even do it."

Naruto leaned his head back. "So what do you want to do?"

"Talk to him." Pale hands tried to stab the blades back into the ground. "Maybe I was just too young and remember wrong and he always was just an evil, insane bastard. But maybe there's something more."

He turned to his friend, hands up in supplication. "I don't have anyone else to ask."

Naruto joined their right hands, twining their fingers and pulled Sasuke to lean back against his chest.

"Then we'll find a way to talk to him."

++

Sakura wondered if it was the outdoor air that made these two fuck like rabbits, violent rabbits, in the forest.

The two were rolling around on the ground in the woods again. Naruto had a split lip; Sasuke's shirt was in shreds hanging off of one arm.

Finally the two were naked. Sasuke was straddling the blond, pinning his hands over his head. He was saying something, but Sakura was too far away to hear it. Then he bent down and licked the drops of blood on Naruto's lip. That became a kiss. And then another kiss, and then Sasuke slid down until he was lying along the full length of the body beneath him.

Sakura was transfixed as she watched the scene, somehow different this time.

Naruto rolled until Sasuke was beneath him, keeping their mouths together. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss, moaning as slender fingers tangled in his hair.

Sasuke pulled his legs from under Naruto and wrapped them around the firm ass. He arched his back trying to deepen their connection. "Do it." He ground up into the hard flesh of the other male. "Now."

Naruto moved to put fingers in his mouth, but found himself on his back again. "No, now."

And with that Sasuke slid down, coated the hard length with saliva and then slid back up and impaled himself onto the shaft between his thighs. He gasped and threw his head back. "I need you now."

He rode Naruto for several strokes, watching ecstasy transform the beloved face below him. Then he leaned again, rolling himself to the bottom.

"Make the world go away."

Naruto thrust slowly, his eyes locked with Sasuke's. Then he drew his knees up under him, sat up and pulled Sasuke up into his arms. He grabbed the muscled flanks, his fingers digging into the taut cheeks of the pale ass. He moved the hips in his hands in a tight, controlled, rolling motion, single mindedly looking for just that angle that would swamp his beloved in sensation.

Finally, when Sasuke was a quivering, moaning mass, hovering on the brink of release, a blond clone appeared, kneeling into the pale back. The clone wrapped his arms around Sasuke from behind and leaned him back into his chest, not breaking the other connection. He rubbed his palms up and down the hard torso, while Naruto brought chakra to his hands. When he had the color and quantity that he wanted, he reached both hands down to the hard length between them. He placed one hand high and one low and watched with greedy eyes as Sasuke arched his back and cried out. Naruto kept a gentle motion until his lover was slumped against his clone.

Sasuke opened his eyes and moved them sluggishly to the tanned face at his neck. Then he grasped the back of the clone's neck and pressed their mouths together.

Naruto's eyes widened and his gut clenched. Watching his lover lazily tangle tongues with the clone was the most erotic thing he'd ever seen and his balls tightened almost painfully as his orgasm hit him like a bolt of lightning.

After several minutes of gentle petting, the clone leaned forward, pushing Sasuke into the arms of the original. Naruto and Sasuke were both swaying unsteadily, so he put his arms around them both for several seconds. Sasuke's head was on Naruto's shoulder and both were gazing at the clone, their eyes unfocused. The clone leaned in and lazily kissed each one before poofing out of existence.

Sasuke finally leaned back slightly, his arms around a strong neck.

"You make me happy."

Naruto's smile outshone the sun.

"And I'd give my last drop of blood to see you smile like that every day." Sasuke ran a finger across Naruto's smiling lips. "Live with me.”

"I already do."

"No. Live with me always." He nuzzled his cheek against Naruto’s. "Stay with me after the six months are up. Be my lover, my friend, my family. Help me make that house our home. Stay. Forever.

"I love you." He pressed his lips to Naruto's then whispered again, "Stay."

Naruto buried his face in Sasuke's neck.

Sakura had crept close enough to hear this exchange. There was no mistaking it now. She didn't know how Naruto had done it, but it seemed that Sasuke was in love with him.

Her heart lying in a million pieces in her breast, she bolted from the scene and fled, across Konoha, over the gates and beyond the surrounding forest. She didn't know where she was going; she just knew that she needed to run.

Because her chakra was still invisible, no one in all of Konoha knew she'd left.

++

Naruto laughed out loud at his handiwork. He couldn't remember the last time he'd pulled a prank and this one was a dandy; Sasuke was going to have a coronary.

This would teach Sasuke to just open his house to Naruto and tell him to treat it as his home. With the help of thirty clones, nearly every paintable surface in the house was an aneurysm-inducing shade of orange. And after a quick rummage through the box of things from his apartment, the bedding and the rug were also orange.

Suddenly he heard Sasuke coming down the hall. He flung himself onto the bed and tried to look as though he was nonchalantly flipping through a book.

The door slid open and Naruto turned a page. "Hey bastard. What's up?"

"Not much." Sasuke strode in and stopped at the bedside. "Whatcha been up to?"

"Oh, nothing. You?" Naruto said, suppressing his snickers.

"Nothing much." Sasuke said. "New picture frame?"

He picked up Naruto's photo of team seven, the frame of which was a retina searing orange.

Naruto bit the inside of his cheek and flipped another page. "No."

"Something's different," Sasuke said as he reached over, turned Naruto's book right side up and replaced it in the orange splattered hands. "New haircut?"

"Aw, you're no fun."

Sasuke crawled onto the mattress and slid his hand into the front of Naruto's pants. "I'm not?"

"Ok, well, you're actually lots of fun." Naruto tossed the book aside and slid into a prone position. Sasuke moved to straddle him and then aligned their groins. Naruto hardened under him immediately.

"I'll change the house back later," he said in a husky growl as his hands worked their way under Sasuke's shirt.

"Only if you want to." Sasuke pulled Naruto's shirt over his head. "I only see one thing when I'm in here with you."

"You're such a romantic fucker." Naruto grinned.

Later, when Sasuke woke from an ejaculate-induced doze, he turned to find his blond sprawled on his stomach, his legs tangled in so much hideous orange.

He couldn't help but smile as he sifted silky blond strands through his fingers. He couldn't remember ever feeling such eagerness to see what each day would bring. Naruto, unpredictable, effervescent, exhilarating and hotter than a fucking Ryūka no Jutsu, brought so much, well, life, into his life.

People thought Uchihas understood fire, but Sasuke had known nothing of fire until Naruto filled his life with it. Each day burned bright and hot. And each morning brought a brand new, wondrous landscape.

As he looked around at the orange walls, he knew that even if they put the room back exactly as it had been, Naruto had send his personal ghosts screaming into the night.


	13. - Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At this point, 'All In' and 'Constellations' are still identical. If you've read one, you've read the other. That will change at Chapter 15...promise!

Sakura couldn’t believe what she was seeing; Itachi, sitting propped against a tree across the clearing. She tested the air with her chakra. Yes it was an Uchiha, but he was very weak.

She crept toward him, startling at every rustle or creak, fear of the mass murderer almost stopping her altogether.

“Come on. You have no need to be afraid,” he said. “I couldn’t hurt you if I wanted to, which I don’t.”

She finally summoned enough courage to reach his side and squat before him.

“You’re a Konoha ninja,” he stated.

“Y…yes. I am.” She leaned to look at his ashen face. “I’m Haruno Sakura.”

He tilted his head in her direction and raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s interesting. And fortuitous.” He sat up further. “You were part of Team Seven, yes?”

She nodded, still on alert.

“Sasuke’s in the village?”

She nodded again.

He slumped back against the tree, wheezing, his facing losing even more color. “I really wanted to see him again. To tell him…to ask him, beg him…” He coughed letting loose a spray of blood.

“I could…”

“There’s not enough time,” he interrupted. “So I’m going to press you for a favor. Nee, Sakura? You do this for Sasuke? For me?”

“But what can I do?” Her fear had disappeared as she felt him barely holding onto the little bit of life in him.

“I once did something like this to Naruto and from his reaction I think he thought it was fairly disgusting,” he grinned, “but if I remember correctly, you love Sasuke and would withstand this small discomfort for him.”

“Yes, oh yes, anything,” she said earnestly. “I can. I will.”

“Have you had lunch?” He chuckled and Sakura just frowned. Then next thing she knew she was choking on a mouth full of feathers.

After many minutes of choking and struggling for breath around something large lodged in her throat, she opened her eyes to find she was on her back and Itachi was poking her in the side.

“What…” she gasped.

“Memories,” he whispered. “The truth. He needs…” Itachi fell into his own coughing fit. “I think maybe it’s a good idea, that…he should know,” his voice faded until she had to lean in to hear the rest.

“What do I do?”

“Just tell…he’ll…know…” Itachi never finished his sentence and from the opaque film over his open eyes, she knew he was gone.

She crawled over to sit by him, facing him. She studied his face and traced a finger over his jaw, his brow, his cheek. Yes, he was definitely an Uchiha. So handsome and even in death, one could see that he had possessed extraordinary intelligence. Even in death the power and grace he had possessed was clear.

What were the memories? She turned her thoughts inward to see if she could access what he had given to her. They were not where she could reach them. But…there was…something.

She prodded and poked with her mind, trying find this new thing that pulsed in her brain aligning itself with her heartbeat, twining around her chakra pathways. Then her thoughts collided with something that wasn’t there before and there was a low level boom in her skull that didn’t hurt exactly but could be felt through her whole body.

She opened her eyes to the strangest landscape she’d ever seen, the sky a swirl of oranges and greens, shot through with rods of black and jagged glittering gray clouds.

And before her, on the jewel-like ground that wavered between thought and dream, stood Itachi, in all his warrior’s glory, poised, alert.

But, hadn’t she just watched him… Before she could finish that thought he whirled in her direction, chidori forming in his hand. Her ninja training kicked in and she sent all her chakra to her fists, but just as she dropped into a fighting stance, Itachi’s chidori faded and he burst into laughter.

“Aren’t you a lucky girl?” He tilted his head. “Or maybe you’re cursed.”

“You’re…” She looked at the tree where his body had been and it was…still there.

“Hmm, I wonder what a Haruno will do with the Uchiha ability of genjutsu?” He smirked, an odd morphing twist of lips. “Perhaps your head will explode.”

She looked around this world and wondered, had she created this?

“Are you a good girl, Haruno Sakura?” She just stared. “There is a saying that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Do you know what that means?” She still just stared and he burst into more laughter.

She grasped out as he started to fade. “One would think,” he laughed uproariously, “that a genius such as me wouldn’t make so many damned mistakes.” Just as he became part of the mist, she heard him say, “Good luck, Konoha.”

It took quite a bit of effort to get herself out of her genjutsu world, but by the time she had regained her position sitting next to Itachi’s body, she’d learned a lot about controlling it.

Sasuke…she needed to go see him. She felt a bubble of excitement, which quickly dissipated as she looked at Itachi’s body. Could this backfire on her? Was there any way she could be blamed for this? She didn’t kill Itachi, but she also didn’t make any serious effort to give Itachi and Sasuke time together.

She felt uneasy, knowing how sensitive Sasuke was about his brother. Did he love Itachi? Did he hate Itachi? How would he take his brother’s death? Suddenly she was afraid. Sasuke seemed to be very unhappy with her since he got back, all his affection aimed at the fucking Naruto. If only Sasuke’s rage could be directed at him…

If only Sasuke’s rage could be directed at Naruto? What if… She looked around the clearing and thought. Was there a way?

After pacing a circle for half the morning, she had made a list of her resources. She had Itachi’s body. And thanks to the grace of her gods, she had an unexpected bonus, the ability to do genjutsu, at least as much as she could do without the Uchiha bloodline limit. It was not as much as Sasuke, but more than most everyone else in the village. And she had her brain, which, since she’d studied hard as a young girl, contained the hand signs for several Uchiha techniques.

Now she sat near his body, going over her plan once more to calm her nerves. Finally satisfied with her course of action, she dragged Itachi’s body into the clearing, dusted herself off, masked her chakra once again and headed back to Konoha.

She staked out the Uchiha district looking for an opportunity to get Naruto alone. It didn't take long. Several times a day, he made a circuit of the compound, making sure the area was still secure. When she thought he was far enough away from the main house and Sasuke, she dropped to the ground behind him.

Before he even realized someone was behind him, she performed the seals for the Bringer-of-Darkness technique and then poofed them to the area by Itachi's body. Then she performed the seals for the next genjutsu, the Hell-Viewing technique. Since Naruto was such a dolt she thought it would be sufficient.

Naruto found himself recovering from slight disorientation. He shook his head to clear it and discovered that he was just beyond the forest outside Konoha. Before him, stood Uchiha Itachi, his cloak folded around him.

"Itachi? What…? Did you bring me here?"

"Yes. It is time for me to retrieve the Nine-tails."

'Wait, what about Sasuke?"

"What about him?"

"He wants to talk to you. He's in the village. Let me get him and then you and I can sort the rest of this out after. I'll…I'll even come with you if you'll talk to him."

Itachi stood silent for several moments, saying nothing. Naruto took the opportunity to continue his urging.

"Please, Itachi. Just talk to him. He has so many questions. He doesn't want to fight you anymore."

"Enough! Don't concern yourself over my brother any longer. I am here for the demon." He flipped his cloak open, revealing Sakura in his grasp. "You will come quietly, or I will kill the girl."

Naruto's face paled. "Sakura-chan."

"Naruto, help me. Don't let him kill me."

"Let her go, you bastard."

He watched as Sakura dropped to the ground and then rolled to the side. He leapt toward Itachi, but when he got there, the Uchiha was gone, heading once again for Sakura.

"Stay away from her." He leapt again. Again, both Sakura and Itachi were in different locations and Itachi was still focused on the girl.

This went on for some time until Naruto finally managed to land some blows on the older Sharingan user. Naruto thought they should have knocked him out, but he just kept standing right back up, heading toward the Sakura again.

"What the fuck is your problem? Fight me, damn it. Leave her alone." Naruto was beginning to feel panic. Itachi should have been down ten times by now, but the bastard just kept getting back up. Naruto kept hitting him harder and harder each time, but so far, with no effect.

As the fight went on, he was using every tai-jutsu trick and every nin-jutsu he knew. But the Uchiha prodigy remained unfazed and just kept going after Sakura. Even the sage techniques and toad katas were failing.

Until finally, he felt he had no choice. He leapt in between Sakura and Itachi one last time, and called forth Kyuubi. Not a lot; one tail. But it was enough to bring hellish heat to within a three-foot radius of his body. He heard Sakura screaming as the skin started to boil off Itachi's body. Just as the body of the Uchiha started to fall over, Naruto felt his own consciousness fade.

The last thing he saw was Tsunade, Sasuke and Sakura, her clothing on fire, clutching at her face.

+++

Sasuke paced in the prison hallway, waiting for Tsunade to allow him to see Naruto. It would be some time before Sakura would be able to have visitors.

He couldn't believe this village would imprison Naruto for calling up Kyuubi. They wanted it for their ultimate weapon, their shield against all foes, but the minute he used it to save his own life, they slapped chakra inhibitors on him and put him in a reinforced cell. Hell, he used it against Konoha's number one enemy protecting one of the citizens.

He clutched at his hair and dropped his forehead on the rock wall before him.

He couldn't believe it. Itachi was dead. Naruto killed him. Why was Sakura there? None of this made sense. More unanswered, now unanswerable, questions surrounding his family's legacy. He kicked the wall in front of him in frustration.

"He doesn't want to see you." Tsunade had silently turned the corner and was standing a few feet away.

"What?" He was dumbfounded. "Why?"

"He killed your brother. Can you not figure that out?"

"Does he think I'd deny him his own life? Does he think I would want him to let Itachi kill him? Or unleash Kyuubi on the world?"

She shrugged. "You know how he is."

"Yes, damn it. Now let me see him so I can fix this."

She studied him for several long moments, then tossed him the keys. "Okay. Do your best. God knows I didn't get anywhere."

He started down the hall, and then stopped. "Sakura. Will she be alright?"

"Yes, although I may not be able to reverse all of the scarring. Burns are difficult. Much of the skin is dead, although, she covered her face so most of the scarring will be on her hands and on her torso where her clothing was on fire." She sighed tiredly.

"I'm afraid pretty girls like her take these things harder than they should."

Sasuke nodded and looked at the floor a moment. Then he bowed at the honey-eyed woman and went in search of Naruto's cell.

+++

"Damn her. What are you doing here?" Naruto turned away once he realized who was at his cell.

When Sasuke produced keys, opened the cell door and stepped inside, he continued, "For fuck's sake, doesn't anyone care what I want around here?"

"Shut up." He stalked over to Naruto, but stopped when the blond flinched as though preparing to be hit.

He slowly moved forward until he was within a foot and Naruto had himself pressed against the wall, his eyes closed and his face turned to the side.

"I'm so sorry," Naruto whispered. "I asked him, I _begged_ him to talk to you first. I told him he could even have me if he would just answer your questions."

He opened his eyes, anguish clear on his face. "I don't know what was wrong with him. He just kept going after Sakura. I couldn't make him stop."

He closed his eyes again and whispered, "It doesn't make any sense."

Next he felt himself wrapped in a warm embrace and Sasuke was whispering near his ear, "I'm so sorry you had to face him alone. Why did you go without me?"

"I didn't. I wouldn't." Naruto couldn't help nuzzling the neck before him. If this was the last time he would be close to his love, he wasn't going to waste it. "One second I was at the gate checking the perimeter and the next I was in the field where you found us. I don't know how I got there. He said he brought me there. Must be some new Akatsuki trick I don't know. Probably used the same trick to get Sakura that far away from the village."

He buried his head in Sasuke's neck again and choked out, "I'm so sorry. I don't want you to forgive me. I don't deserve it. I should have figured…"

"I told you to shut up." Sasuke's voice was gentle as he threaded his fingers through blond strands. "Yes, I wanted to talk with him. But there was no guarantee that he would have talked with me. It was likely that he would have tried to kill me, too. And," he leaned back and gripped Naruto's jaw in his hand, "I would never trade your life for a conversation with anyone." He kissed him gently. "I wouldn't trade your life for my own."

They held each other for several minutes, Sasuke soothing and reassuring Naruto. Then he stepped back and lifted thick hands up for inspection. He studied the cuffs designed to hold back all chakra in the teen's body and sighed.

"Let's see what can be done about these."

+++

"Let the record show that the chakra signature of Kyuubi no Youko, the Nine-Tailed fox demon was present within Konoha proper on yesterday's date."

Sasuke's mind was racing. If this went badly, he'd have to act. While one part of his mind listened intently to the proceedings of the Go-Ikenban, another part was devising an escape plan.

"Let the record further show that one Konoha citizen was seriously injured and another Konoha citizen killed by the demon and its vessel."

Sasuke's thoughts came to a screeching halt and he felt bile rise in his throat. This was insane. He had some idea that the council wasn't fond of the demon and by extension, Naruto, but this? They would actually side with Itachi over Naruto?

"Uchiha Sasuke, we offer our condolences for your loss." As Homura Mitokado spoke, Koharu Utatane tsked and shook her gray head.

Fear was a congealed lump in his gut, but he kept his face impassive. He cast a glance at Tsunade, whose face was also an expressionless mask, and then at Naruto. The blond stood in the middle of the room. The floor around him was painted with every conceivable external seal and chakra inhibiting cuffs encircled his wrists, ankles and neck. His head hung in utter desolation. Sasuke wanted to weep.

"Finally, the council has decided that Uzumaki Naruto will wear the inhibitors and remain in residence in the high security section of Konoha prison until such time as his services are required."

Sasuke felt the room sway. Gods, they were putting Naruto in prison. He looked at the seals on the floor and estimated the distance they would need to travel and how quickly in order to affect an escape. All of this was assuming Naruto would cooperate and that the Godaime didn't interfere too strenuously.

He decided to play one last card before taking the more extreme measures. He pulled forth every arrogant Uchiha gene he could muster, and then strolled casually to the stand in front of Naruto. Instead of bowing before the council, he crossed his arms and raised one finely arched brow.

"And what about me?"

"Uchiha-san?" The council members bowed their heads and then looked at each other.

"Well?" He snapped and narrowed his eyes.

"I offer our most sincere apologies, but I'm afraid we do not understand."

"Four small words comprising a question. Is it really so difficult?" He secretly blessed his family for surrounding him with pretension and self-importance in his youth. Whatever he was doing was causing both council members to squirm and look uncomfortably at each other.

"Uzumaki Naruto was given to me for my protection and amusement during my reintroduction. Are you really going to make me bring in the document containing your signatures?" Naruto's head shot up. "I was not involved in this, yet now you are taking away something that is clearly, contractually mine."

"Uchiha-san…"

"I'll make this simple. You gave him to me. He is mine. Give him back." He then let the Sharingan activate so they could see the tomoes spinning lazily in his eyes. Let them be reminded of that which they prized so highly. "At once."

The two elderly statespersons asked for a short recess and left the room. As soon as they were gone, Sasuke slumped and propped himself up with his hands on his knees. Tsunade was at his side in a moment and pulled him into her arms.

"Brilliant." She kissed his forehead. Then both turned to Naruto who was still staring at the floor but now had tears dripping from his chin.

"Naruto."

"Dobe."

"I'm just a thing here." He looked at them through red rimmed eyes.

Sasuke stepped up to him and gripped his chin. "Do you know why they're going to give this to me?"

Naruto shook his head.

"Because I'm a thing here, too." He shrugged. "You're a demon vessel. I'm a Sharingan user. Both of us are ninja. We're both weapons and shields; tools. We're nothing more than the advantages we give."

"They don't trust me." He looked at Sasuke. "After…everything, they trust you, but not me."

"They don't trust me either. They just know they can't push me like they think they can push you. They know you would sit quietly in prison and still protect this village when they need you. They know I'd blow the fucking prison off Konoha's map and shove the rubble up their collective ass."

"Naruto, Sasuke's right." Tsunade squeezed both of their shoulders. "If you're waiting for this council to care about you, you're going to wait the rest of your life. They're part of the job. What will give your life meaning are the one or two personal bonds you can find outside of your shinobi life."

Tsunade watched Sasuke move into Naruto's space and link their hands together. For several seconds, she was certain they had forgotten she was there and the looks of longing and…desire...she saw on their faces brought a flush to her cheeks.

Naruto wore his adoration openly on his face. Sasuke's own expression was a sharply focused hunger. She could almost taste the pheromones coming off the two teens as Sasuke moved close enough so that their chests touched.

"They don't know you, Dobe," Sasuke murmured. "No one in this village knows you."

"Except you?" Naruto whispered.

"Except me." Sasuke nodded. He leaned in just slightly closer, but stopped when Tsunade cleared her throat.

Naruto sniffed and reached a finger out to brush Sasuke's arm. "When'd you get so smart?"

"I'm a genius." Sasuke pushed dingy blond locks off a soot covered forehead.

"I hope so," he sighed. "If I have to spend the rest of my life in prison…"

"I won't let that happen."

"Nor will I," Tsunade added.

Just then the door opened and the council returned. It turned out that the council had more balls than Sasuke hoped, but only slightly. Naruto would return to the Uchiha district, but the wrist cuffs would remain for now.

It seemed they were willing to appease the Uchiha by returning the vessel to him, but were still anxious to vent their spleens on Naruto. He was to be blocked from all of the demon chakra and most of his own. And it was his own problem as to how he was supposed to protect Sasuke and keep his skills up within those limitations.


	14. - Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the last common chapter. After this each story goes off in completely different directions. Hope it doesn't make anyone's head explode. 
> 
> Review and comments always welcome.

Sakura woke to murmuring and the sound of someone crying.

"I did this to her."

"You saved her life."

"I just thought she was farther away. What the fuck is wrong with me? This kind of mistake..."

"Dobe, you know how things happen in the heat of battle."

"I know, but..."

She drifted way on a medicated cloud.

The next time she woke, her mind slightly sharper, the same voices were nearby.

"I think your decision to bury him in the Uchiha family cemetery is really great. I'm proud of you."

"Until I know differently, I'm going with my instinct that there was something more and give him the benefit of the doubt."

"I know I keep saying it, but I really am sorry you won't get to ask him the questions you have."

"I've been thinking about that. It seems unlikely that there isn't somebody else..."

She drifted again.

The next time she surfaced, she managed to open her eyes enough to look around the room.

Sasuke and Naruto were present again...still? They were standing against the wall, foreheads pressed together. One was fingering dark strands, the other caressing whisker-like scars with the pad of one finger. Their voices were quiet enough that she couldn't hear them.

As coherence and memory slipped back into her head, one thing was clear; Sasuke did not hate Naruto for killing Itachi.

At the realization, she gasped in pain.

+++

The next days were agonizing for Sakura; at times the pain was almost too much.

But then the day came when she happened to be awake when a medic came to change her dressing. She nearly vomited at the sight of her own body. Her hands were a nauseating patchwork of blackened globules of fat and stringy muscle punctuated with ulcers that reached to the bones now exposed by the sloughing of charred dead skin. Her medical training told her that grafts would be needed.

But the skin of her torso where her tunic was in flames was worse. Fourth degree burns; she wondered how she had survived. The flesh from her shoulders to the tops of her legs was angry red and white with black charred sheets of skin partially peeled from her body; she had no feeling on most of her abdomen.

And her breasts...were gone.

She screamed her anguish to the four walls.

The next time Naruto and Sasuke came to her room, the only thing she could think was that she hated Naruto with all her being. She had been a pretty girl; everyone had said so. But now, _now_ , that which made her a woman, was gone. Tsunade had reassured her that there were procedures that would restore much of her looks and shape, although she would never have the flawless skin and figure she'd had.

That useless demon holder had taken everything from her, her looks, her future and, because she knew there was no use fooling herself, her beloved Sasuke. It had become clear to Sakura as she observed her two ex-teammates; Sasuke was not going to leave Naruto. He was strong, single minded, possessive and he wanted Naruto.

Clearly, Naruto had to go.

+++

Naruto had to go. Upon consideration, that didn't seem possible. She was in no condition now to engage the blond. And even on her best days, she didn't see how she could ever win a fight against him. And anyway, Sasuke would hate her beyond measure if she killed Naruto.

But, still, Naruto had to go.

Using her infirmity as a shield, Sakura used the next days to observe Naruto. She lie still quite often, feigning sleep or the disorientation of being medicated, studying the blond, looking for weaknesses.

It didn't take long for her to spot a giant one; the cuffs. But she needed information, and the best way to get it was from Naruto himself.

She remembered another lesson taught to her by Tsunade; ' _keep your friends close, and keep your enemies closer_.' For the second time in the last weeks, she silently thanked the older woman for the shared wisdom.

Determined to right the wrongs in her life, the next time she woke to Naruto and Sasuke in her room, she repeated to herself, ' _keep your enemies closer,_ ' then held her hand out to the blond.

When he tentatively grasped the tips of her fingers, she smiled gently up at him and whispered, "You saved my life. Thank you, Naruto."

He collapsed to his knees, his head dropping to the edge of the mattress. His body shook with relieved sobs. As he choked out, "Oh, Sakura-chan," Sasuke bent down and pressed his lips to her forehead and held them there for several long seconds, caressing the hair at her temple.

Her smile was brilliant and her joyful tears were sincere.

+++

 _Keep your friends close. Keep your enemies closer_. Sakura latched onto this to keep from screaming her rage at the loathsome blond whenever he showed up in her room. The notion satisfied her need for revenge while giving her a focus that kept everyone from realizing the depths of her hatred for Naruto. It gave her the sense that she was outsmarting everyone.

One thing she did know, if she had to watch Naruto put his hands on Sasuke for even one more second, she didn't know if she could control herself in their presence. It had taken all of her extra strength to keep a serene smile on her face, striving to give the impression that she thought the image they portrayed was adorable.

This pattern continued for weeks as she recovered and then as the pair left at the end of one day, she decided it was time to act. She had several things going for her. The fact that she was presumed to be bed ridden paired with the fact of Naruto's cuffs, not to mention her newly acquired genjutu skill, inspired her to engage a hastily made plan. As a lifelong resident, she knew just which residents could be counted on to stir up a frenzied mob with the right motivation.

Plan finally forming, the next time she woke to Naruto and Sasuke in her room, she repeated to herself, ' _keep your enemies closer,_ ' and then held her hand out to the blond.

Her resolved solidified as this action caused Sasuke to take her other hand and press it carefully to his lips.

Tomorrow Sasuke would be hers.

+++

"I didn't realize you actually own the orphanage property." Sasuke leaned against one arm of the couch, flipping through some papers in his lap.

"It was the only way I could maintain the place the way I think it should be maintained." Naruto shrugged. They were both in their boxers, relaxing for the evening. He had one of Sasuke's feet in his hands and was digging his thumbs into the arch, basking in the simplicity of being in each other's company.

Sasuke nodded. "I guess we need to find new caretakers? There aren't any orphans now, but that…"

Naruto sat up abruptly, his entire body tense.

"What it is?" Sasuke could almost taste the tension radiating off his friend.

Naruto threw Sasuke's foot out of his lap and headed toward the door. "Stay!"

Sasuke grabbed his arm. "No fucking way." And he started toward the door behind Naruto.

"I told you to stay!" Naruto yelled. Sasuke found himself flying backward and then he was pinned to the floor. He was astounded when he couldn't get up.

"Naruto, don't you dare leave without me!" Sasuke shouted to what was now an empty room.

Fear filled him as he struggled to figure out why he couldn't get up from the floor. He had never intended for Naruto to protect him, ever; especially now that the blond was wearing the cuffs. Even Sasuke could feel the barest trickle of chakra flowing through Naruto.

Sasuke tried to remain calm and figure out why he couldn't move. As he tested his limbs and sent his chakra throughout his body and then the floor under him, he growled in anger. It seemed that Naruto hadn't taught him all his secrets. He had no idea how to undo this. He didn't even know if it was his body that was affected or whether he was being held in place by an outside force.

As he sensed the malice and agitation in the dozens of signatures outside his door, he howled his rage, "Narutooo!"

Just outside the Uchiha gates, Naruto found a fair sized crowd made up of villagers he'd known his whole life. He'd had trouble with most of them at one point or another, but never as a group. Now they were here as a mob, each holding some sort of weapon, although most were just average kitchen blades and household tools.

"Hey?" He wished he was standing amongst these people in more than his boxers. If he wasn't careful, they were going to see the tattoo on his back. Acutely aware of some intense hatred coming from…somewhere…he knew that the sight of the demon on him would only make things worse.

No one in the group said anything to him and he had the distinct feeling that they were confused.

"What's up?" he prompted when no one said or did anything.

"Demon…" one man muttered half heartedly and then scratched his head as if not sure why he said it.

Then one shouted, "Uchiha!" Several in the group grumbled and nodded. Naruto frowned. It was as if they were here for a fight, but didn't know what they wanted to fight about.

"Yeah. Fucking Uchiha deserter. Living like a king."

"Abandons us then comes back to more money and property than all of us put together."

"My sister has five children and lives in a two room apartment. This traitor is falling off his money pouch and has two dozen empty houses."

"Probably sleeps in a different room every day."

"Has the best ninja in the village as his own personal servant!"

Several of the men separated themselves from the group and headed toward Sasuke's house, shouting and waving their weapons.

"Guys!" Naruto called out. "Let's just call it a night. We can talk about this stuff in the morning. Maybe Sasuke and I can…"

A hate filled chakra signature swirled behind him and he turned, ready. Then the air shifted and he felt a moment of disorientation. Just as he gained his bearings he heard shouts of alarm from behind him.

"Kyuubi!"

"The demon's loose!"

"Save the village!"

Next thing he knew, the remaining villagers that weren't heading toward the house were attacking him. Fuck!

His first instinct was to bring up wind to keep all the men in one place. He reached inside for that well and gasped as he found it empty. The cuffs!

He held his arms up to take some of the blows and craned his neck to find the group that had gone after Sasuke. They were almost to the house and now had lit torches.

They were going to burn down the house and he had Sasuke trapped inside it.

Naruto tried to go through the men who were shrieking and growling, stabbing and clubbing him. But he had less chakra than they did and there were a lot of them. He just needed to keep Sasuke and the villagers separated.

Ignoring the blades now sticking out of his back and arms, he closed his eyes and concentrated with all his might. If he could just come up with enough to throw a thin shield around Sasuke's house with a totem signature similar to that which Yamato used to absorb Kyuubi, it shouldn't take much and he could keep Sasuke in and the civilians out.

Inside the house, Sasuke was in an absolute panic. His own, albeit lesser, sage abilities let him feel enough to have some sense of what was going on. Naruto was in trouble while he was still stuck to the floor.

Suddenly, though he was free. He leapt up and made to go to Naruto's aid but found himself blocked again as he ran into the shield that Naruto had put around his house. From this vantage point, though, he could see what was happening just beyond the gate.

For the next few minutes he did everything he could think of and used every ounce of power he had to free himself or send his chakra beyond the shield, but it seemed to just absorb it all. All the while he watched as Naruto sank to his knees, his arms limp at his side, not even trying to defend himself from the continuous rain of blows coming from his attackers.

Naruto had found the well of chakra that his body used to stay alive and had forced it passed the cuffs and out to protect Sasuke. But by using that he didn't even have enough to remain standing, much less defend himself.

Sasuke screamed and pounded on the shield as he watched the cuffs glow. He could smell the burning flesh mixing with the coppery scent of the blood pooling under Naruto's knees.

The younger shinobi had dozens of sharp objects sticking out of his body, two run completely through his back to stick out of his chest. His face was swollen and bleeding, But Sasuke could still feel his focus; every cell in his body working to hold the barrier in place.

Unbidden tears streamed down Sasuke's face when one villager looped a noose around Naruto's neck and threw the rope over the arch of the Uchiha entrance gate. Terror filled him as several men joined in and hoisted Naruto's unresisting body up into the air.

"Kill the demon."

"Kill the serpent."

"Protect Konoha."

For the briefest of seconds, the barrier flickered but Sasuke wasn't quick enough to take advantage of it. He looked at Naruto whose eyes had opened and were now looking at him. _"I'm sorry."_

"Stop! Don't do this!" Sasuke screamed. "Let me out!"

Then Naruto's body was spun around as the attackers continued to hack at the demon on his back.

Suddenly Sasuke knew what was coming. Sickness welled in him as he watched one of the burlier men dive for a long blade lying on the ground and make a broad swing for the demon's head, just below Naruto's knee.

His fingers burned as they dug into the shield and…Naruto's leg fell to the ground.

Then the shield vanished. And Sasuke was running. Just as he reached Naruto, a blur flew out of the trees and Neji was soaring toward them, his sword out. The Anbu howled as he swung his own weapon, cutting the rope holding Naruto in the air. The blond's body fell into Sasuke's arms and they crashed to the ground.

"Naruto!" Sasuke pulled Naruto into his lap, the weapons protruding from every part of the blond's body cutting into his arms and legs.

He looked into his lover's face. Naruto's eyes were open but cloudy, unseeing. His breath bubbled in short, wet spurts through his nostrils and open mouth, and blood streamed passed his lips and down his chin.

Neji was there, tying a tourniquet around Naruto's leg. "Tsunade will be here any second. There was a disturbance in town as well."

Sasuke and Neji both watched as Naruto made one last short exhale and then…nothing.

"Naruto?" Sasuke whispered, shock stealing his voice.

Neji and Sasuke held their breaths for a space of seconds, waiting for the next rise of Naruto's chest.

It didn't come.

Sasuke became aware of his new connection to the planet, the connection that Naruto had shown him, had given him. His breath faltered as felt the life leave Naruto's body, much as rain sheds from the leaves on a tree.

He felt the earth beneath them joyfully absorb this life energy, just as it covetously soaks up rain after a spring shower. The soil under them became richer, warmer, and more vibrant. His senses were following the trickles of Naruto's life as they sank deeper into the earth and dispersed, diluting and mixing with the other elements of life hidden there. The heavens around him were happier, brighter, shimmering with joy at this new addition. The container in his arms was fading.

"Sasuke, help me," Neji yelled.

Sasuke looked at him, his expression still one of disbelief.

"Help me!" Sasuke could not understand what Neji was doing, much less what was being asked of him. He didn't comprehend that Neji had his hands on Naruto's chest and was forcing chakra into his body.

"We were just making plans…" Sasuke whispered. He was in a web that was apart from the substantial universe and from his new senjutsu perspective he observed a tiny spark, a warm, beautiful light, rise from Naruto's chest and hover, brilliant, alone in a vast black nothingness. He reached for it, but it danced away and he had a feeling that it was teasing him, laughing and playing.

' _Come with me.'_ He was sure that’s what he was supposed to hear; Naruto wouldn’t let them be separated.

He nodded and studied the weapons before him. He pulled one knife from Naruto's shoulder set it to his forearm, making a cut toward his wrist.

"Sasuke!" Neji grabbed his wrist.

"I have to hurry. He's alone again." Sasuke jerked his arm free. "I promised him that he'd never be alone again." He put the blade to his arm again. "He'll think I lied to him."

Then Tsunade was there. The first thing she did was remove the cuffs. Then she pulled Naruto from Sasuke's arms and yanked enough weapons out of him so that she could lay him on the ground.

"You will not fucking die." She grabbed Sasuke's hand and pressed it onto Naruto's chest next to Neji's. "If the demon's still alive, we have a chance."

"Sasuke!" He just stared at her, stuck between two worlds.

She slapped him across the face. "Sasuke!" she shouted again. "Your chakra! Now!"

He blinked and became aware of the activity around him. Then, never taking his inner eye off the spark that hovered and danced, caressing his cheek and ruffling his hair, he nodded and drew forth every reserve of power he could find inside him.

' _Stay.'_

_+++_

**Again...Next Chapter, All In and Constellations are COMPLETELY different. Thanks so much for sticking with me. Chapters 13 and the first half of 14 haven't been my favorites (I really suck at 'bad guys') but hopefully you'll enjoy them as the conflicts unfold.**


	15. - First stand alone chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Constellations takes off in its own direction starting with this chapter. Hope it isn't too difficult to make the switch.

"Just a few more," Neji said to Sasuke.

Sasuke growled in impatience as the older brunette stitched the cut in his arm. He'd refused to go to the main part of the hospital for attention and was only relenting to Neji's ministrations because Tsunade had absolutely refused them entrance into the room on the other side of the door facing him.

"If she doesn't come out here soon…" Sasuke said through gritted teeth.

Then he dropped his head back against the wall and his whisper was filled with despair. "I can't feel him."

Neji nodded as he bent over to bite a thread. "It's the room. I spent some time there once. It is for very precise chakra work and is designed to eliminate any fluctuations from outside sources."

"So you think he's okay?"

Sasuke watched as Neji's face contorted and he closed his eyes. But, when the older teen opened his eyes again, his face was composed.

"I can't bear to think anything else," Neji answered quietly.

Last time they'd seen Naruto, his chest had started rising, and his heart had started beating, but within four unsteady breaths, Tsunade had yanked him from under Sasuke's and Neji's hands and whisked him away.

Now Sasuke was scared, because he could no longer feel anything at all from the blond. It was as if Naruto had left Konoha altogether.

Having experienced it once, he thought he'd know if Naruto had died but until he saw his friend with his own eyes, until he felt the warmth of living skin under his fingers, heard steady inhalations and exhalations as Naruto's lungs pumped life giving oxygen to his brain, fear was clawing at him.

"Your wound will heal faster if you rest. Close your eyes and I'll wake you when there is news." Neji stood.

Sasuke ignored that, getting up and moving to the door. He pressed his palms and cheek against the cool rock and closed his eyes, trying to reach beyond the barrier to some small piece of his lover's consciousness.

Just has he slammed his hand against the stone in frustration and stepped back, the door opened and Tsunade looked out, her eyes rimmed in red.

"Put these on and you can come in." She sniffed then held out cuffs just like the ones she'd removed from Naruto.

Neji slipped his on without question, but Sasuke looked ready to refuse. She sighed tiredly.

"Your choice, but if you don't put them on, you can't come in. I'll have nothing interfering with the work of the medics."

Sasuke closed his eyes and complied.

"Stay close to me and do exactly as I say," she said.

Sasuke had never had occasion to enter the rooms in this section of the hospital, but now that he had, feared he'd have nightmares about it for the rest of his life.

In the center of the dark, cavernous rock room, Naruto lie naked on the stone floor. The only light in the room came from a few candles flickering in sconces around the perimeter and glowing lines that led from a dozen meditating medics to Naruto's still form. The medics chanted and Sasuke could see that the lines were actually chakra coursing along channels to whirl around the patient with enough force to whip his hair around his face.

Sasuke clutched his stomach and swallowed thickly as he saw Naruto's leg lying near his knee, still unattached. It was encased in its own glowing sphere, in an effort, Sasuke guessed, to keep the blood vessels and nerve endings alive.

"Will you be able to put it back on?" he asked in a whisper.

"I believe so, but right now, his body can't handle the strain."

As they moved closer, one of the medics fell over onto his side. Another rushed up and pushed him out of the way, taking his place.

Sasuke's attention was drawn to a gigantic wooden structure growing out of the ground and arching over Naruto's body. He didn't fully understand its purpose, but he recognized the basic signature. It had the same properties that had kept him and his own chakra locked in the house while Naruto was being attacked.

"This is going to be difficult. More difficult than any other patient I've ever had," Tsunade finally sighed.

"But you will heal him, right?" Sasuke gripped her arm.

She sighed and rubbed her face. "Naruto is actually three entities. He's the boy, the demon and the seal."

"The seal?" Neji asked in surprise.

"So it would seem." Tsunade nodded. "We are feeding huge quantities of chakra into is body, but all three entities are fighting for it. We're trying to force it into Naruto's root, but the three are too closely linked. Minato did a hell of a job with that thing."

"I don't understand." Sasuke and Neji both said.

"Because Naruto's and the demon's chakra are linked to the seal, and vice versa, all three entities are tied too closely together. All three are fighting for resources, and so far, the seal is winning, but it's damaged and the chakra is leaking back out. We haven't been able to get Naruto's own chakra up much above zero. Right now we're not accomplishing much more than life support. The upside is that the demon is also depleted.

"Over the years, the demon has been kept in check almost as much by Naruto's own will as the seal. So if we do get some chakra to stick, that is going to cause the next problem."

"Problem?"

"The seal has no allegiance. Without Naruto's will to keep the demon contained, if the Kyuubi gains ground faster than Naruto, he could conceivably steal all the chakra and make it his own. At that point, he'll likely make a break for it."

She pointed toward the arches and the man they missed sitting off to the side. "Yamato is ready to absorb the Biju chakra should the balance tip away from Naruto, but he's one man. He'll need to rest at some point."

"What then?" Sasuke whispered.

"What then," she repeated. "I just don't know." She looked at Naruto and her jaw clenched. "I know what he'd say, but I just can't…"

"What does that mean?" Sasuke growled, already guessing.

"Yamato is not the only precaution in here." She pointed to another corner of the room in which stood half dozen Hunters, their swords unsheathed.

"I'll kill anyone who tries to hurt him," Sasuke snarled.

Tsunade nodded, not the slightest bit surprised or phased by Sasuke's reaction. "What if that's Kyuubi?"

"I…" Sasuke's jaw clenched in frustration. "Get rid of them."

"Sasuke, I'd have to wage war in this room to get rid of them."

"You're Hokage, just order them out." Sasuke seethed, his eyes blazing at them across the room.

"They're his men, not mine."

"His men?" Sasuke looked from Tsunade to Neji who nodded.

"Once I formed the Niju Shotai," Tsunade continued, "I disbanded those fucking sociopaths. Naruto recruited them for his own purposes. So they're here because of an agreement they have with him."

The three moved closer to Naruto. Sasuke longed to reach out and hold him.

"He was always worried that something like this would happen." Tsunade murmured. "That he'd be hovering between life and death someday, and the demon would have a window of opportunity to escape. He's had precautions in place since he was thirteen years old."

"Naruto…" Sasuke looked at his beloved and realized he had missed so much of his friend's life. Had not been there to help him deal with such monumental struggles; had not been there to protect him. He pictured a skinny thirteen year old in negotiations with the scariest, most unbalanced ninja on earth, for, of all things, his death, and he found himself swiping tears off his cheek.

"Can I go to him?" Sasuke asked. "Touch him? Talk to him?"

She studied him for a few moments. "Okay, but don't touch the channels. And only for a couple of minutes."

Sasuke picked his way closer to Naruto. As he knelt, he realized Neji had followed. Neji's own anguish was clear and Sasuke didn't have the heart to send him away. Anyway, if love had any power here, he would deny Naruto none from any source.

Instead he found a spot to kneel by Naruto and laid his head on the wounded chest, searching for a heartbeat.

"Dobe?" Sasuke whispered and closed his eyes. "Don't leave me. I need you." He continued to talk. Some nonsense, some pleading, anything that came to mind, hoping that the sound of his voice would work its way to some part of Naruto that would respond and give him a will to come back.

When he lifted his head, Neji was still there, holding one of Naruto's hands and stroking his hair. He heard the other brunette also speaking to Naruto in agonized whispers. "I should have told you. All these years, you thought yourself unlovable. I had the power to change that, but…"

+++

"What are your plans?" Neji asked Sasuke later as they were once again sitting in the hallway across from each other.

"My plans?" Sasuke asked, frowning.

"So that I may assign my men properly, I would like to know when or if you plan to go home."

Sasuke sighed. "I'm not leaving. You can go ahead and go."

"I'm not leaving," Neji responded, sounding surprised.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"I am at liberty to assign guards as I see fit," Neji continued. "I have assigned myself as his guard. I will assign another for you if and when you return to your home."

"No." Sasuke snapped. "I'll guard him. And myself."

Neji sat forward and leaned his elbows on his knees. "I am his guard," he repeated. "And as long as you remain in this hallway, I am your guard as well."

Sasuke threw his arms up. "This is fucking ridiculous. I do not now, nor have I _ever_ needed a guard." He poked the floor in front of him. "You know god damned well I can take care of myself."

"You and Naruto have never discussed his mission parameters? The official parameters or his own personal pact? Or even what, I suspect, was Tsunade's personal agenda?"

Sasuke hesitated. "The scroll said he was to protect me."

"But we all know that is unnecessary, don't we?" Neji said. "Even the council knows that the only person in this village who could harm you is Naruto himself."

Sasuke looked uncertain. He'd just assumed that either the council was stupid and really had no idea that he could protect himself or they were making some gesture to win Uchiha approval. Either way, he'd acquiesced because it gave him time with Naruto. He was certainly not going to correct their misinterpretations and have Naruto removed from his home.

"No one is protecting your body," Neji finally said. "They are protecting your hopes and dreams."

Sasuke's eyes widened and his breath caught.

"You wish to come home, but, as Tsunade pointed out in the hospital, the Uchiha name is spat upon here."

"If that's true, why would anyone do that for me? Why would anyone care about what I want?"

"For Naruto, of course." Neji sat back against the wall. "Public opinion for Naruto has changed in the years since you left." Neji shrugged. "There is still some bitterness about Kyuubi from a very small population. And there is a small number of people who do not like him and never will because he refuses to be used for their purposes, but he has won over the vast majority because…" Neji shrugged again, "well, for the same reasons you and I love him."

Sasuke was staring at his hands in his lap. Neji continued.

"The only thing Naruto has ever wanted for himself is your return. Now that you are here, he and those who love him are willing to do anything to keep you here. That includes standing between you and anything that would tarnish the name of Uchiha further, like unnecessary confrontations with civilians. We are willing to give you the chance to remake the Uchiha name," Neji waved a hand, "or not, so that you can live here in peace. For him."

Sasuke spent several moments digesting this, then he said, "You said something about Tsunade's agenda."

Neji nodded. "She would keep him in Konoha where he is safer."

Sasuke gave a disbelieving snort. "He's the strongest ninja alive. Who could hurt him?"

"He could." Neji continued at Sasuke's confused expression. "The missions are not her concern. It is the company he keeps; his traveling companions."

Sasuke suddenly understood. "The Hunters."

"What you don't know about Naruto is that each morning, he gets up and makes sure 'Kyuubi Plan A' and 'Plan B' and 'Plan C' are all in place. Naruto takes his responsibility for Kyuubi with deadly seriousness. He will do absolutely anything to keep the demon from being loosed on the world again, including seeing to his own death. From the beginning, Jiraiya was ready to kill Naruto."

Neji pointed to the door. "He pays that group to follow him around on all his missions, ready to deal the final blow."

"Fuck."

"Precisely. We were always terrified they would come back with only Naruto's head because some rustling in the bushes gave them an excuse to draw their weapons."

Neji settled back once again.

"I believe Tsunade saw your return as a chance to keep him in Konoha until he is Hokage." He tilted his head. "Personally, I believe she secretly hoped that a bond would develop between the two of you giving him a reason to care about whether he lives or dies."

Sasuke still said nothing, feeling sick over these revelations.

"Naruto is trying to give you a home; one in which he hopes you can live together." Neji closed his eyes and sighed. "Therefore, Sasuke, I will guard him and I will guard you so his sacrifice is not in vain and so that his one dream will not be stolen from him."

"Neji?" Sasuke said, picking at the hem of his pants.

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

He looked up in time to see Neji smile. "You're welcome, my friend."


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! I had some extra time this weekend and so I am posting another chapter this weekend. Enjoy!
> 
> So what do you think? Is the adjustment to 2 stories too difficult?

"So both of them were hanging upside down in mid-air, tied together with Kiba's pants. Mind, Kiba is buck naked at this point." Neji said chuckling.

Sasuke was laughing at the story Neji was relating about the impromptu sparring match that had popped up because Kiba and Choji thought it would be funny to switch Naruto's ramen with Akamaru's kibble.

"I can just…"

An explosion from the other side of the door interrupted Sasuke.

Within a second, both ninja were up and hurtling into the chakra chamber.

They were met with hellish heat and screaming.

Sasuke and Neji both thought only of Naruto and ran through a cloud of dust toward the center of the room. They leaped over the remains of the wooden structure which was a shambles, pieces of it scattered everywhere, several splintered sections on fire.

When they reached Naruto, his body was surrounded by a red light and his back was arched impossibly. The Hunters were inching closer to Naruto, their arms out, attempting to ward off the heat radiating from the blond's body.

Kyuubi was making a break for it.

Without knowing why, Sasuke knew what to do. Ignoring the heat he slid to his knees by Naruto's side and placed both hands on the seal. Then he reached inside himself as deep as he could go and, using his sage abilities sent all the earth's energy he could channel through his body into the seal.

He transformed his body into an open pipe between the heavens and the barrier holding in the demon.

Neji pulled two swords off his back and faced the Hunters. "Take another step and I will kill you. Uchiha and I will deal with Naruto and the demon."

The looked like they were going to ignore that, but then the ground shuddered and a fissure opened up between the Hunters and the other three ninja.

"Go. I'll deal with them," Tsunade yelled, her fist still vibrating on the rock at her feet.

Neji straddled Naruto's chest and lifted his eyelids. He transported himself into Naruto's mind. When he got there, he found a visceral image of Sasuke, his hands over the seal on the bars. What nearly overwhelmed him, however, was the agony in Naruto's body. Sasuke's image was being buffeted by it as well; his back was arched and he panted through intense pain as he struggled to concentrate on holding the demon.

Neji was galvanized; he could help. He immediately went to the portion of the brain that sent and received pain signals and used his own visceral hands to redirect it into his own body.

That shifted the balance for Sasuke and his concentration focused. As he poured energy from the universe into the seal, he watched it slowly begin to redraw itself.

But a movement caught his eye. He glanced toward it and saw a flash of blond.

Naruto!

The blond was running away from them down a long corridor. From his vantage point, though, he could see what lay at the end; a bright white light.

No!

"Narutoooo!" Sasuke screamed.

Naruto stopped and turned around. Then he was standing by Sasuke's side.

"My dearest love," he stroked Sasuke's cheek and smiled.

"Naruto…"

"I have to go, Sasuke," he interrupted. "I can't let the demon out."

"Naruto…"

"I'm so sorry, but it's the only weapon I have left."

"That's not true. You have me. I can fix this." He nodded toward the seal. "See, I can do this."

Naruto looked skeptical. "This is awfully important, Sasuke."

"Naruto, give me a chance. Please." Naruto still looked uncertain. "Neji's here, also. See?" Naruto turned to Neji who still had his hands on the pathways leading to Naruto's brain.

"Hey, Neji," Naruto smiled sadly. He moved to Neji's side and stroked his cheek as well. "You shouldn't do that for me."

"Naruto," Neji said. "I would not ask you to risk this village that you love so much. But I believe he can fix this. Will you let him try?"

"I don't know..."

"The light remains." Neji looked down the corridor. "If it appears that we are failing, that option will still be there."

"Naruto, stay!" Sasuke growled and turned back to the seal. He closed his eyes and dug even deeper, opening an even wider conduit, pouring even more chakra into the seal. His whole body shook but he never lost focus.

"Look, Naruto," Neji said shakily, struggling with even more pain as the demon fought even harder against losing the ground he'd gained. "Look at the seal."

There, before their eyes, the ink of the seal darkened to a midnight black, the lines and flourishes sharpening to its original precision. It was becoming like new.

+++

Two hours later, Tsunade and a team of medics hovered over three unconscious ninja.

But she was smiling and tears of happiness streamed down her cheeks.

The seal was completely rebuilt and had ceased being a battle ground for the two other beings occupying Naruto's body. It was pristine, intact, acting as the barrier it was supposed to be.

That meant than any chakra she sent into Naruto's root, would stay there for his use. The demon was on its own.

But Naruto? She stroked his hair back off his forehead and laughed aloud with her relief.

She could heal him now.

+++

Neji and Sasuke stood in a cheerful white room in the main part of the hospital. The sun was shining brightly through the windows onto the many flower arrangements crowded on every flat surface.

Naruto was due to be moved to this room shortly and Tsunade had laughingly instructed them to get the hell out of the way so she could get him transported.

Sasuke wandered around the room, absently rearranging flowers and fluffing pillows. And studying Neji.

"Why didn't you ever tell him?"

Neji didn't turn from gazing out the window.

Finally he said, "I always thought there'd be time…"

"I'm surprised you'd think that, knowing how loved ones can be taken with no warning."

Neji nodded. "Another of my many failings."

After another minute of silence, Neji said, "I wish I had."

Sasuke came to stand beside him, sharing the warmth coming through the window.

"He would never have loved me as he loves you," Neji continued. "But I could have alleviated his years of loneliness."

Sasuke said nothing.

"I let him wake alone every morning, eat alone every day, gave him no reason to spend more time here than in the field."

Sasuke idly stroked a finger through the dust on the windowsill, just listening.

"It was my responsibility as his friend, as someone who loves him, and I let him down."

"Responsibility?"

"He only knew the ultimate gestures of love. In his experience, in his family, one dies for those they love." Neji clasped his hands behind his back. "He never experienced someone bringing him a cup of tea or a blanket because they cared about his comfort. Or someone holding his hand or giving him a shoulder for his tears, asking him of his hopes and dreams.

"Having had a family for a time, I know of these things," Neji continued quietly. "The responsibility was mine."

Neji turned to Sasuke. "You have my admiration and gratitude for doing what I did not."

Sasuke studied his new friend for a moment, but before he could say anything, the door to the room opened and chaos ensued for the next hour as Naruto was settled into bed and hooked to various pieces of equipment.

Sasuke was so relieved to see Naruto's feet under the blanket, side by side. He ran his hand gently down the length of Naruto's leg, slowing when he felt the wrappings just below the knee.

"How long will he be out?" Sasuke asked Tsunade.

"Hard to say. He has a lot of injuries. Since the demon is still struggling as well, he's having to heal like a regular person. That will speed up as the demon recuperates, but for now, he's no different than you or me."

She looked at him. "You look like shit, yourself, Uchiha. You could go home for a while and wouldn't miss anything here."

"No. I'm not leaving."

Tsunade shook her head. "I didn't think so. There's a shower through that door." She looked at Neji. "I'll have a couple of futons brought in."

Later that evening, Sasuke came out of the shower to find Neji standing at the door talking quietly to another Anbu.

"Are you sure? Don't you think…"

"No. Go. I have everything in hand."

"What's going on?" Sasuke asked when they were alone with Naruto again.

"My men offered to relieve me."

Sasuke cocked his head. "What _are_ you going to do? Have you figured a way to go without sleep?"

Neji came to stand in front of Sasuke. "Would you take shifts with me?"

"Me? I thought you said…"

"I would request that you help me stand guard, but if anything does happen, you step aside and let me handle it."

Now that Sasuke understood what was at stake, he found he had no trouble agreeing to that. He'd learned long ago to pay whatever price was needed to gain what he wanted. And that the important things had a higher price.

He finally smiled. "Get some sleep. I'll wake you if there's trouble."


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.

Early the next morning, a commotion interrupted the breakfast Sasuke and Neji were eating. They jumped up, but Neji grabbed Sasuke's arm.

"I will handle it?" Neji confirmed before opening the door.

Sasuke sighed and nodded. Then they stepped out into the hallway, Sasuke behind Neji.

They stopped before the Council and several armed Jounin, Neji placing himself so that he blocked their progress toward Naruto's room.

"Where is Tsunade? We want to speak to her about Naruto and the demon."

Sasuke felt the blood pound in his veins as fear and anger warred inside him.

In front of him, Neji dropped to a knee and bowed his head.

"Of course, but first, I would plead for this opportunity to beg your forgiveness for doubting your wisdom."

"Hyuuga…," one councilor stammered.

"I am ashamed. If you had chained my arms and legs, and then tossed my body onto the battlefield, I would not have thought beyond the situation to a master plan."

"Young man…" The other councilor started, sounding uncertain if he was being insulted or not.

"That's what makes Naruto a better soldier than I. Did you tell him, or do you think he guessed? Or perhaps he was just insightful enough to defer to your wisdom, without knowledge of the plan?"

"Er, well, some of each, I suppose." Sasuke struggled to keep his face impassive at this ludicrous exchange. It was clear the councilors had no idea what Neji was talking about, but would not admit it.

"Uchiha Sasuke and I are honored that you permitted us to play a small role in your ingenious plan." Neji stood and turned slightly toward Sasuke. "Aren't we Uchiha?"

"Hn…" Sasuke wouldn't admit that he had no idea what this was about either.

"But enough. You are here to see the miracle you created." Neji turned and led the group to Naruto's room.

He moved the blanket down to Naruto's hips and pulled his hospital gown aside enough to reveal the seal, talking the whole time.

"I imagine no one knows seal-lore or even demon-lore better than you. Not to mention senjutsu theory. To put the three together in such an inventive combination…" Neji sighed wistfully.

"There it is. Better than new. Stronger than the day the Yondaime put it there." Neji bowed his head. "A better use of Uchiha's sage abilities could not be imagined. His successful senjutsu training is a gift from the gods. Surely they must speak to you directly."

The four of them studied the lines of the seal, and indeed they were sharp and clear, contrasting starkly with the skin under it.

Tsunade burst in at that point, an anxious look on her face.

"Young man," one councilor said condescendingly, "listen to your elders and, gods willing, when you are our age, you may one day be able to spot opportunities such as this."

"Ah, Tsunade," the other straightened. "I see all is well."

Tsunade coughed lightly and cast an unreadable look at Neji. "Hyuuga explained everything?"

"Yes. Next time we expect you to keep us up to date on how our plans are progressing."

"Yes, well." She sniffed. "Shall we go and discuss this in the shade of the new water tower?" Sasuke watched Neji bow his head and if he wasn't mistaken, the older brunette was blushing.

When they were alone again, Sasuke circled Neji, studying him speculatively.

"I'll bet," Sasuke said, his eyes narrowed, "your ninja skills had nothing to do with your promotion to Anbu Captain." He crossed his arms. "I'll bet you went in to get yelled at and came out with a shiny new job."

"There was an incident with the old Konoha water tower," Neji said. "But, as it turned out, due to many structural flaws and poor decision making by a previous, not so wise council, they were going to replace it anyway. Many lives were saved."

As amusing as Neji's little manipulation could be under other circumstances, Sasuke brooded over it for the rest of the day.

He pictured this afternoon's incident as it would have gone had it been only him guarding Naruto. Blood would have been spilled, lives lost and he would be on the run or facing his own execution. Indeed, if Neji hadn't been there today, Sasuke and Naruto would have lost each other forever.

It became clear to him that he was not equipped to protect Naruto. Today showed that in an attempt to do so, Sasuke might have saved Naruto's life, but he would have killed Naruto's heart. Again.

Was this a failing in him? Was there something wrong with him that he couldn't protect both Naruto's body and his happiness?

Then he remembered his family. There had actually been many people protecting him. His father was strong and cunning and, if needed ruthless, protecting Sasuke's life and limb. But he didn't much care about Sasuke's feelings or whether he was actually happy or not.

That fell to his mother. She wasn't much with a sword, but she built his esteem, nurtured his dreams and ambitions and showed him love and acceptance. She was gentle and thoughtful, the complete opposite of Sasuke and Sasuke's father.

She was Neji.

+++

Later that night, Sasuke woke to find Neji standing by Naruto's bedside, just looking at him. Sasuke could feel the sadness coming from his new friend.

"You should tell him."

"I'm surprised you would suggest such a thing," Neji said without turning.

Sasuke got up and stretched, then walked around to the other side of the bed. He looked at Naruto as well, sifting his fingers through the dull blond strands.

"I would give him back some of the warmth he pours down on everyone else."

Neji looked up. Sasuke continued.

"I don't feel that I could ever give him enough. I want," Sasuke paused a moment looking thoughtful. "I want everyone to love him and I want him to know it, to be able to bask in it."

"Even my kind of love?" Neji sounded doubtful.

"I want to wrap him in it, bathe him in it. Fill him with it." Sasuke caressed the whiskered cheek. "Make up for a lifetime without it."

"I think it would hurt him." Neji finally said. "He would feel badly for me, pity me. He would feel guilty. A friendship would be lost."

Sasuke looked at Neji and blinked. He was right. Why hadn't Sasuke seen that?

They were both descended from the same line, both had special eyes, but Neji saw so much more than he did. Or maybe Neji just looked deeper.

He remembered a phrase he'd heard somewhere in his travels; "When you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail." He supposed that applied to him. Perhaps it was his Uchiha-ness, or his losses, or his time in Sound, but his inclination was to overcome everything, from a battle to breakfast, with blunt force trauma. He wanted Naruto loved, so he was ready to grab the world by the scruff of the neck and make it love him.

It had never occurred to him to him that the blanket or the cup of tea Neji mentioned or the simple holding of hands would accomplish that and perhaps more.

Suddenly he looked at Neji and felt a small bubble of panic. He needed Neji. He needed the other brunette as an ally to complement his efforts, covering his own inadequacies, to make Naruto's life complete.

+++

It was dark in the room, but Sasuke could see Neji leaning against the wall nearest the door. It was Neji's shift and Sasuke was supposed to be resting, but his mind was racing.

He hadn't been able to stop thinking about how to make Naruto's life the best it could be.

On one hand, things had been going well and he'd thought Naruto had been happy, they both had been happy. No, he'd never brought Naruto a cup of tea, but he hadn't murdered any civilians either. They were just living together and it was good. But that was in isolation.

Naruto was a social person. And he was going to be Hokage which would carry a full social schedule. When he realized that Sasuke didn't fit in that world, and indeed, endangered Naruto's life and ambitions outside the boundaries of the Uchiha district, what would he do?

Would he give up his dreams for Sasuke, or would he give up Sasuke for his dreams? Neither was acceptable.

His first instinct was to make some broad stroke, although he didn't really know what; something along the lines of changing the laws of physics or flying them to the moon.

Then he realized he was doing it again; trying to rearrange entire constellations, when perhaps he should start with a grain of sand.

What would Neji do? Sasuke realized that Neji would think of Naruto first and what he'd want, what would make him happiest. Only, when he tried to make that list in his head, he didn't really know what those things were. Tea and blankets didn't seem to fill the bill.

His thoughts just circled and circled and it was making his head hurt. He realized that he needed more information.

One thing that could be said about Uchihas was that they never thought they knew it all. He remembered a phrase he'd heard his father telling Itachi when the older sibling showed signs of rebellion, "Son, it's what you learn after you already know everything that makes you smart."

Indeed, his father had stressed that the only way to get smarter was to keep learning. Never, ever close one's eyes to a new idea or dismiss any person because that person’s footsteps had traveled a different road.

So Sasuke had never had any trouble asking for training, from his father and brother, from Kakashi, from Orochimaru, from Naruto.

Now he was going to ask Neji.

He rose and took a circuitous path around the room to finally stop in front of Neji. He was uncertain what he even wanted from the other brunette and felt the steps he was taking were somehow larger than they seemed.

Anxiety filled him and finally he slammed his hands on the wall on either side of Neji's head.

"What are you doing, Sasuke?" Neji asked, not moving.

"I…I…"

Five feet away, the bond between Naruto and Sasuke hummed with Sasuke's building anxiety. Naruto's subconscious felt it and it pulled at him. His eyes opened and he saw Sasuke trapping Neji against the wall.

"I need your help."

"If I can," Neji said, his head pressed back against the wall as far as it would go.

"Teach me. Show me how to love him as you would."

"You already love him as I do."

"I…I can't keep him safe though." Sasuke had yet to look at Neji, uncertainty swimming through him. "You are a perfect person. You can keep his heart and his body safe."

Neji opened his mouth but Sasuke kept talking.

"There are…landmines everywhere. I can't see them. I would have killed his heart twice this last week. He would be alive, but there would be dead bodies everywhere. He would wake to learn that I'd been executed for crimes against Konoha."

"Sasuke…"

"I want to be more like you."

"Sasuke, first, he likes you the way you are. Second, I am not perfect. If it had been left up to me the other day, Naruto would be dead. I could not have protected his body as you did. The demon would have gained too much ground and the Hunters would have been forced to take his head."

Sasuke pulled back and looked at Neji. "You're right. I did win that battle and it was the right battle to fight." He gripped his hair. "How am I supposed to know which battles to fight?"

"I don't know how to answer that. Except that maybe time will help. I can deal with Konoha's citizens and council because I grew up here. You did not."

"Maybe we're good together. Maybe we're a good team," Sasuke said. "You and I together could keep him safe and happy."

"Sasuke, what do you think _he_ would want?"

"I…I don't know."

"That's the only information you need."

"Do you know what that is? What he would want?"

Neji nodded. "Yes."

Sasuke gripped his shirt and shook him. "What! You have to tell me."

"He lives for your happiness."

Sasuke dropped Neji's shirt and stepped back. "That's not…I live for his happiness. He lives for my happiness? How the hell do people take care of each other?"

"It must be very difficult being an Uchiha," Neji said and Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Not everything can be turned into a task list. And very little can be accomplished with kunai and shuriken."

Not able to address any other part of this discussion, but still wanting to get in the last word, Sasuke slammed his hands on the wall on either side of Neji's head again.

"You listen to me, Hyuuga Neji. You don't know what Uchiha means anymore. No one in this fucking world knows. Anything it meant before is irrelevant." He leaned in almost touching noses. "It is what I say it is now. End of story. If I want Uchiha to mean fluffy pink bunnies, it's up to me, isn't it?

"But you can bet that whatever it ends up meaning will be strongly influenced by Uzumaki. In fact, you won't be able to look at one without seeing the other."

Then he whirled around, stalked across the room and threw himself into a chair, more upset now than before he'd gone to Neji for help.

Naruto closed his eyes, exhaustion stealing over him once again. Something had changed. He tried to remember.

He…he'd died. And now Sasuke was in an emotional tailspin. He remembered floating above his own body…watching Sasuke put a blade to his own arm in an attempt to end his life.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you've decided to read on, thank you.

Sasuke brooded the next morning. His thoughts had continued to circle but kept coming back to family. He had come from a large family. Each person was different and had brought something unique, some strength to the mix. His mother had given him something different than his father; his brother and grandparents had given him something different still.

He thought the answer was there and as he imagined the streets of their neighborhood filled with people, children and adults, with Naruto and him at the center, it seemed right.

A picture from a book his aniki had read to him as a child floated through his mind. The book had been 'Gulliver's Travels,' and in it had been a drawing showing Gulliver lying on his back on the ground, surrounded by the Lilliputians. The tiny people had the giant strapped to the ground with hundreds of ropes. They were small bonds, but there were so many of them, that Gulliver couldn't leave.

Not only could others help create the life he envisioned, but additional bonds would work to his advantage, as well. Neji had been correct; no human had ever taken their responsibilities and commitments more seriously than Naruto. If Naruto had little blond children waiting at home for him, could he have fought harder, winning the battle with Kyuubi without Sasuke's help? Such a thing would make a difference to Sasuke and it seemed reasonable that it would for Naruto, as well.

Sasuke suddenly felt the need to lie with his lover. He felt a primitive urge move through him, a primal need to send his seed in search of its mate. He felt the need to create a life with the other half of his soul. Not literally, after all, neither of them could bear children. But there were ways…

One day there would be children. There were ways if one wanted it badly enough. He wanted it badly.

+++

Sasuke sighed in frustration. Children would take time. They were both males so there would need to be a plan. As he thought about it, he realized that it would be even more complicated because, except for female children, he wanted no women in their lives. Naruto's heart was huge and it was clear from the example he'd shown with Sakura, whom he'd loved for years in spite of her mistreatment, a female presence in their personal lives would be dangerous.

But that wasn't what he was really looking for anyway. Children would love them unconditionally, but they couldn't help Sasuke take care of Naruto.

His gaze and his thoughts kept straying to Neji. He needed to make Neji a part of their lives; a part of their private lives.

He wondered if Neji would just agree to the arrangement, or if he would need to be wooed. Maybe Neji didn't like Sasuke in that way. Certainly he would come live with them if Naruto asked, but would he come for Sasuke?

Later, during Neji's shift, while Sasuke was supposed to be resting, Neji spoke from his usual position against the wall.

"What are you thinking? I feel like I've been stalked all day long."

Sasuke didn't answer, just stood and moved to stand much as he had the night before; close with his hands on either side of Neji's head.

Neji's eyes widened as he felt Sasuke's intention.

"What are you doing? How can you do this?"

"It's an experiment," Sasuke murmured.

Then he leaned in and covered Neji's lips.

Neji whimpered and put his palms on Sasuke's chest pushing lightly. Sasuke leaned closer and Neji's hands became fists that gripped Sasuke's shirt.

Neji's lips were warm and he smelled good. He shoved his fingers into Neji's hair, tilted his head and deepened the kiss. As Sasuke leaned closer still, he felt a change in Neji's body that indicated he liked this.

Then he felt a pain in his jaw as he flew across the room. The scraping of the chair on which he landed woke Naruto, who once again, opened his eyes in silence.

Sasuke picked himself up and returned to stand in front of Neji.

"Sasuke," Neji said breathing hard.

"Live with us," Sasuke interrupted in a husky murmur.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"What are you talking about?" Neji growled.

"You love him. I love him. Live with us and we'll love him together. Help me."

Neji gripped his hair, uncharacteristically upset.

"What about what _he_ wants? Do you honestly think he wants that?"

"I don't know, but I'm willing to find out," Sasuke said calmly.

"Okay, forget about what he wants. What about what I want?" Neji's voice was shaking.

Sasuke stepped closer and reached between Neji's legs and stroked. Neji's gasped and fell back against the wall, his eyes closed.

"I think you want it, too."

Sasuke found himself on his ass again, but this time he just stood, dusted himself off and then returned to his chair, studying Neji with a knowing look on his face.

Meanwhile Naruto closed his eyes again, his thoughts in a whirl. Things were changing and he didn't know what, if anything, he should do about it.

Should he open his eyes and put a halt to this before Sasuke freaked out completely and changed all their lives beyond recognition? Was his continued absence making this situation spiral out of control?

Or should he keep his eyes closed and let Sasuke find his way to a place in which he was happier, more secure. He could guess that Sasuke was feeling out of control and trying to right things by alphabetizing the cosmos. That's what Sasuke did.

Honestly, if it took the inclusion of Neji in their lives to make Sasuke happy, Naruto could do that. But what about Neji? Naruto didn’t want to see his friend hurt. Because, while he could include Neji in their lives if Sasuke wanted it, he didn't think he would ever love him as he loved Sasuke. Neji deserved such a love and Naruto didn't want Sasuke to deprive him of that by making the older brunette into a shield or security blanket.

Deciding that the drama was over for the night, and feeling sleep pull at him again, he kept his eyes closed and drifted away once again.

+++

Outwardly, no one would know that Neji was a wreck. Inside, however, he was waffling between assigning this post to someone else…and ripping his clothes off and crawling onto Sasuke's lap.

Neji'd had no trouble keeping his mind on mission parameters up till now, although he'd enjoyed sharing the duty with Sasuke, who was sharp and funny and, he was learning, sometimes so desperately insecure and needy, so endearingly human.

The situation had been clear; Naruto's safety was his first priority. And Naruto belonged to Sasuke. Those things had created a wall inside him that kept all thoughts but perimeter security and contingency plans at bay.

In one ten second period, though, Sasuke had blown that wall to bits. He'd painted a kaleidoscope of pictures in Neji's head that refused to go away. One second he could almost feel Sasuke biting his neck and pushing his shirt from his body, the next he was imagining running his lips and fingers over the rocky abs on Naruto's tan torso.

Ultimately, though, Naruto's safety was still the most important thing to him. They still had no idea who was responsible for the incident with the villagers and until they did, Neji trusted no one to do this job but himself.

So he would have to find a way to get his head back in the game. And keep Sasuke an arm's length way.

+++

During his shift, while Neji lie stiff on his futon, his shirt buttoned up to his neck, a sword in one hand and a kunai in the other, Sasuke sat on the side of Naruto's bed. In the quiet darkness he allowed himself the luxury of sitting in silence, drinking in the sight of Naruto's peaceful face and the sounds of his easy breathing.

Naruto would be waking soon. It wouldn't be long and he would see that beautiful, beloved face smiling back at him.

Something eased inside of him and he realized that he'd been losing his mind this last week. He rolled his eyes as he remembered and realized he been at his psychotic Uchihan finest; Itachi would have been proud.

Poor Neji. He had become such a dear friend and Sasuke had been an idiot.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets he walked over to Neji's futon and, in spite of the tension he felt coming from the Anbu captain, he lowered himself and sat lotus style next to him.

"I'm sorry."

Neji looked at Sasuke warily.

"You're right. I've been losing my mind and couldn't think beyond my fear to what you or Naruto would want."

Neji sat up and set his weapons aside. He was surprised to find a bubble of disappointment burst inside of him.

Sasuke looked over his shoulder at Naruto's bed. "I wish I did know how to make him happy."

"I don't understand why this is an issue with you now. It had seemed to me that you two were ecstatically happy."

"We were." Sasuke shook his head. "Are. But I would have ruined it." His head dropped and he picked at a loose thread on the mattress. "I _will_ ruin it."

Neji couldn't argue. If Sasuke had gone out to meet the villagers with Naruto, it would have ended badly. And again, if Sasuke had dealt, in typical Sasuke-fashion, with the Council over Naruto and the demon, Sasuke probably would be dead now.

"You know how I am," Sasuke said. "If I don't do something to break his heart, it's almost a sure thing that I'll take away his dream of being Hokage." He snorted a wobbly laugh and found his eyes tearing. "I can't be taken out in public."

Neji saw a tear slide down Sasuke's nose and drip off the end to soak into the futon.

"Sasuke…" Neji murmured and pulled him into his arms.

"Teach me," Sasuke whispered. "Teach me how to be a real person."

As Sasuke's shoulders shook, Neji pressed the other dark head onto his shoulder. He felt the warm wetness slide down his neck, and he lost his heart. Again.

+++

Sasuke slouched over the table, holding his chin up with one hand, while poking around in his breakfast with the other. He was studying Neji under his lashes.

The older brunette was different today. He seemed terribly sad. It had to be Sasuke's fault; there was no one else around. He was just getting ready to apologize again, when movement from the bed caught their attention.

Naruto was waking up!

Naruto opened his eyes to two dark haired ninja; one perched on either side of his bed. Each brunette had one of his hands and was smiling at him. He opened his mouth to say something but found his mouth too dry to speak.

"Water," Neji said, poking Sasuke in the ribs with an elbow.

"Oh, yeah," Sasuke said and scrambled to pour a glass. Neji reached behind Naruto and pulled him into a sitting position while Sasuke tipped the glass to his lips.

After he'd had his fill, Sasuke propped pillows and Neji leaned him back carefully. Then the pair hovered expectantly, both sets of eyes moist.

"You guys," Naruto croaked. After licking his lips several times, he started again. "You guys look like shit."

He blinked as both burst into cries of joy and hugged each other.

"We look like shit," Sasuke said, sniffling and laughing with delight.

"What if I tell you that you smell bad, too?" Naruto smirked weakly.

The pair burst into laughter again and wrapped their arms around each other.

After a moment they looked once again at Naruto who was grinning.

"Gods be _damned_ but it's good to see you smile," Sasuke said caressing his hair. "How do you feel?"

Naruto looked thoughtful for a minute, then his eyes widened and he clutched his stomach.

"My seal..."

Sasuke's smile fell. His stomach churned and he wondered if he'd screwed this up as well.

"I…I tried to fix it," he said uncertainly.

"It's amazing. It's perfect," Naruto said, a faraway look still in his eyes as he concentrated on an inventory of his condition.

"Really?" Sasuke asked hesitantly.

Naruto's eyes lit and he reached for Sasuke, who took both hands in his.

"I had forgotten what a new seal felt like. I hadn't realized it had faded."

Naruto grinned. "Fuck, you are awesome."

Sasuke closed his eyes and felt himself on the verge of tears once again. Then Naruto looked at Neji.

"You were there, too. I remember."

Neji inclined his head. "I did nothing."

Sasuke turned to him. "That's absolutely untrue. I couldn't have done this without you."

Neji started to demur again when Naruto gasped.

"My leg," he whispered. "Is it…"

"It'll be fine, brat," Tsunade said from the doorway. "You'll be running down over-achieving brunette prodigies in no time."

Tsunade shooed them out of the room, telling them to go get some real food for a change while she tended Naruto.

The pair walked down the street together, shoulder to shoulder, their hands in their pockets.

Sasuke was breathing deeply and smiling at the sun.

"What a beautiful day. I don't remember the sun ever shining so brightly."

Neji nodded once, staring at the ground. That's when Sasuke remembered Neji's malaise from this morning. He still needed to apologize.

"I've hurt you." Sasuke said quietly. "I'm really sorry."

"You have not hurt me," Neji said in surprise.

"Will you tell me what's wrong?"

"It is nothing. My hardships are my own doing." Neji waved a hand then stuffed it back in his pocket.

"I'd hate to think I hurt you, too," Sasuke said, sounding confused.

Neji stopped and turned. He studied Sasuke for a moment, then said, "Don't sell yourself short in this thing with Naruto. You are a treasure and he is lucky to have you." He looked at the ground. "You are lucky to have each other."

"Neji," Sasuke murmured. Then, giving in to impulse, he pulled Neji into his arms and held him, wishing he knew how to make this second person happy as well.

+++

When they got back to the room, Sasuke saw Naruto propped on some pillows looking alert. He realized he should go and let their loved ones know that Naruto was awake and recovering.

"Hey, Dobe," he said tangling his fingers lightly in Naruto's hair. "Need anything from home? I'm going to get a few things and I'll stop by the Sisters' and let them know how you're doing."

"Naw, I'm good. But I would like it if you'd hug those kids for me and tell them that I'm fine."

Sasuke nodded then looked at Neji. "Okay with you?"

Neji touched a tattoo on the inside of his wrist and a few minutes later there was a knock on Naruto's door.

Sasuke grabbed his dirty laundry from the corner and then opened the door to a very young looking teen in Anbu garb.

He smirked and ruffled the spiky dark hair on the boy's head. "Think you can keep me out of trouble?"

"H..hai," the boy said, bowing. Sasuke pressed a quick kiss to Naruto's cheek and strode out the door, his step light.

"Okay," Naruto said to Neji once they were alone. "Who was that and what did you do with Sasuke?"

Neji smiled and sat on the edge of Naruto's bed.

"He didn't understand before, but now he does." Naruto raised a brow. "He wants to come home and live with you."


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you are enjoying Constellations, I'd love to hear it. Critiques are also welcome.

While Neji sat across the room studying mission reports, Sasuke sat in his usual spot, in a chair by the bed while Naruto slept. He had Naruto's hand pressed to his cheek and his eyes were closed as he let his chakra wander, placing and identifying residents of Konoha.

Shino and Kiba were together at the training grounds, probably getting in a night spar.

Ino was at her parents' house and by their placement and mood, were probably sitting around the table playing cards.

He was surprised how many people were home alone; Kakashi, Tsunade, Iruka, Guy, Lee, Hinata, TenTen, Choji, Shizune, Sai, Shikamaru.

They were lonely.

He sighed in silent gratitude that he was not one of them.

He felt Naruto squeeze his hand.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," Sasuke murmured.

"S'okay," Naruto said, yawning. "Missed you."

"Mm. Missed you, too." Sasuke leaned close and rested his hand on an unmarred patch of skin below Naruto's heart.

Naruto reached for Sasuke's hand and that's when he saw the stitches under Sasuke's sleeve.

Naruto picked up his hand and pulled the sleeve back. Sasuke's look became mutinous.

"Promise me you won't do this again."

"No," Sasuke said. "This is the last time I start over. I can't lose everything precious to me again." He pushed his sleeve back down. "Wherever you go, I go."

"Sasuke…"

"No. If you want me to stay alive, you have to stay alive."

The next morning, Tsunade said that she wanted to see Naruto out of the bed. Lying for extended periods was unhealthy she explained, and anyway, they wanted to get clean bedding under their patient.

"Would you like a bath?" Sasuke asked with a glance at Tsunade to make sure this was okay.

"Really? Clean hair, too?" Naruto's eyes lit.

"Will you help?" Sasuke asked Neji.

"Of course," Neji bowed.

While Tsunade retrieved buckets and cloths because she didn't want Naruto's wounds, especially his leg, immersed, Neji and Sasuke worked to get Naruto out of bed.

Sasuke and Neji let themselves be used as crutches and helped Naruto relieve himself. All three males were panting and leaning on each other by the time they had Naruto naked and settled on a stool in the shower stall, his leg protected from too much moisture.

"I'm so sorry guys. I hate being a pain in the ass."

"Idiot," Sasuke said from behind starting to gingerly work lather into Naruto's hair. He was careful around the many stitches and bumps he felt on Naruto's scalp, but Naruto was stiff and Sasuke could tell he was holding his breath.

"Look at me," Neji said from in front of Naruto. "I can take the pain for a time."

"Neji," Naruto said. "No, it's not..."

"I ask that you allow me to do this." Neji's voice was humble.

"There's no need…"

"Do you understand how Byakugan works? This will not harm me in the slightest."

Naruto looked skeptical. Sasuke stood still behind him, waiting.

"Please. You, both of you, have saved the world. I wish…I _need_ to make some tiny contribution." Neji looked at Naruto. "I need to help you."

Naruto was silent a moment, then sighed. "Okay."

He looked into Neji's eyes and just as in the battle with Kyuubi, Naruto's pain disappeared. His body relaxed and his breathing eased.

"Fuck, this is amazing. Are you sure you're okay?"

"All is well," Neji answered.

Sasuke worked quickly washing Naruto's hair and body, rinsing and patting dry around the stitches and contusions. As he worked, he watched Neji. It was clear from Neji's demeanor that he was now the owner of all Naruto's pain. Every swipe with a cloth, every brush against the green and yellow swellings dotting his body, caused Neji's jaw to clench and the muscles in his shoulders to tighten.

Neji finally released Naruto when they had him back in bed, tucked into cool, crisp sheets, his teeth brushed and his hair drying in its usual fluffy mass.

"Ah," he sighed with a serene smile. "I feel almost human again." Within minutes he was fast asleep.

Neji moved to his usual place against the wall, and after making sure Naruto was tucked in, Sasuke joined him.

"You lied to Naruto."

Neji raised a brow. "I would never lie to Naruto."

"You did. You lied about how Byakugan works." Sasuke paused. "Okay, you lied by omission. Either way, I know you took his pain into your own body."

"It is insignificant. I regret that I can't keep it for him forever."

"Is it bad?"

Neji nodded. "He has many injuries. Broken ribs, internal injuries, surface wounds. I believe his skull is cracked. And his leg…" Neji shuddered.

Sasuke pushed Neji's hair back off his cheek. "Thank you."

+++

The next week, Naruto got another bath and another set of clean sheets. The demon was recovering slowly and it showed as the smaller visible wounds started healing more quickly. He was staying awake for longer stretches and Sasuke had gone home twice more, bringing back the shoji board, a couple of books and a deck of cards to help keep all three teens occupied.

He'd surprised all of them by bringing the box of civilian toys and his heart swelled as he saw the delight on both faces as they discovered the marbles and puzzles and small wooden soldiers contained therein.

By the end of the week, Naruto was sitting in a chair long enough to eat his meals with the other two.

Sasuke was enjoying this cocoon of peace and safety. He had not liked going home these last days. As he'd opened his front door and crossed the threshold, he'd been struck by the tomb-like feel of his own home.

The building had been cold and shadowed, the air stale, the utter silence oppressive. He didn't know how he'd lived there after his family had been gone, and knew that he could never live there alone again.

It came to him the difference between a house and a home. A house was a pile of wood and nails. A home was…Naruto. This hospital room could be his house, as along he had Naruto there with him.

One of the days, Neji had made arrangements to go to his own apartment for fresh supplies. He'd been more subdued than usual when he returned and Sasuke, in a moment of insight, had imagined that Neji's apartment was as cold and unwelcoming as the empty building he'd left earlier that morning.

His eyes burned as he thought of the end of this idyll and his new friend returning to his lonely, utilitarian structure, alone. It made him ache to think of Neji joining the ranks of Konoha's lonely.

+++

It was dark and Neji and Sasuke were sitting side by side leaning against the wall. Neji's eyes were closed; Sasuke was studying him.

"I wonder why Uchihas didn't opt to use a seal like Hyuuga." Sasuke knew Neji was awake.

"I don't know. I suppose for the same reason they didn't move to a class structure as Hyuuga did."

"It seems wrong."

"We are taught that it is for the protection of the individual, the clan and the village."

Sasuke looked doubtful.

"In the event of capture, this can save us from prolonged torture at the hands of an enemy," Neji said. "It prevents a weaker being from divulging important information that could endanger the whole clan. Or Konoha."

"Maybe," Sasuke said. "I just can't imagine doing that to a family member."

"It is not employed lightly. In my lifetime, it has only been used once."

Sasuke looked at him.

"My father."

"I'm sorry."

The two sat in silence for a while.

"Can I see it? See how it works? Inside?"

"Of course," Neji answered.

A few minutes later, Sasuke was standing in Neji's mind. He was struck by the absolute serenity he found there. The pathways were organized and uncluttered. It was quiet and utterly still.

The seal was a large presence in Neji's mind. It was a thick strand from some external source to the brain stem. Sasuke could easily imagine the right pulse of chakra could act as a quick and, probably, painless, execution. Or an excruciating torture.

It made Sasuke sick to his stomach. He loathed the notion of anyone trying to control him on any level and he felt that each day he managed to survive the things life threw at him gave him the right to fight for his existence to the best of his ability. The idea of someone taking away his right to fight and overcome appalled him.

Finally he pulled out of Neji's mind.

"Your mind is the most remarkable thing."

"Indeed?"

"Yeah. It's like…being underwater. I've been in monasteries that weren't as tranquil and peaceful. It's very…restful."

Sasuke smirked.

"I've tried to provoke you a couple of times and figured you were trying to infuriate me by not rising to it."

Neji's lips twitched. "And now?"

"You just don't get angry, do you?"

"Not too often."

"Does that extend to pleasure and happiness also? No extremes of any kind?"

Neji's face fell. "I…I don't know."


	20. This is where I lose readers.  I hope you continue because this is where the story begins to mean more.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is where I lose readers. I hope you continue because this is where the story begins to mean more. Feel free to comment.

It was the night shift and Neji was on the futon, lying on his side facing the opposite wall. Sasuke sat in a chair beside Naruto's bed, tracing his finger over the dozens of stitched wounds on Naruto's torso. He was sending tiny pulses of chakra into them imagining that he could speed the healing.

He was thinking of his mother and how she would do this for him when he would come home with cuts and scrapes after hard training and even harder playing. His lip twitched as he remembered her telling him that Uchiha chakra had magical properties which took away pain and healed cuts and scrapes faster.

Now he knew better, but as he recalled that his pain would indeed disappear at her suggestion he realized that it was his mother who had magical properties.

He closed his eyes as small pangs that never quite went away pierced his heart.

"I'm proud of you."

Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at Naruto through the dark.

"You saved the world," Naruto continued quietly.

Sasuke squeezed his hand.

"Don't give me too much credit. I was only thinking of you."

Naruto gave a lopsided smile. "Well, you saved me, too."

Sasuke leaned closer.

"In many cultures, that would mean that I now own you."

Naruto huffed a quiet laugh.

"But," Sasuke continued in a husky murmur. "I suppose that's only fair," he reached out and caressed a cheek, "since you own me."

Naruto hummed contentedly.

"How are you feeling?"

Naruto shrugged.

"Neji said you're in a lot of pain."

"I feel better than I did. Getting up and getting clean has made a huge difference."

Sasuke nodded.

"This shit's just taking forever," Naruto muttered grouchily.

Sasuke raised a brow. "Welcome to the world of us mere mortals."

Naruto blushed. "Oh, yeah."

Sasuke got a heavy lidded look on his face and reached down to run his fingers lightly between Naruto's legs.

Naruto's breathing deepened and Sasuke felt an immediate reaction in his lover's body.

"Maybe I can make you feel even better," Sasuke whispered.

Naruto closed his eyes and groaned quietly. Then he opened his eyes and looked beyond Sasuke to Neji lying on the floor facing the other way.

"Neji's right there," he said, stating the obvious.

"He's sleeping," Sasuke said as he rearranged the blanket and Naruto's gown, exposing Naruto to his gaze.

When Naruto was finished, Sasuke leaned forward, his hands on either side of Naruto's head.

"You are the breath in my body and the blood in my veins. Without you I _will_ die."

Naruto touched his cheek, but was aware of scent coming from ten feet away; tears.

+++

"My assignment will be over soon," Neji said. He was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling.

"I'll bet you'll be glad," Sasuke said quietly.

Neji had gotten quieter and quieter over the last couple of days and had been responding less and less to Sasuke's attempts to engage him in conversation or activities. Therefore it surprised him that Neji was actually initiating a conversation.

"Will you continue to be the guard after we go home, or will you assign someone else?"

When Neji didn't answer, he looked over and saw the look of surprise on Neji's face.

"What?"

"The Anbu Corps is relieved of duty the moment Naruto steps out of this room."

"What? Wait. I don't understand. What does that mean?" Sasuke frowned. "You're not going home with us?"

"No."

"Who's taking over then?"

"He is," Neji said, indicating Naruto, who was sleeping.

"What?" Sasuke said sharply. "His leg will still be in a cast. He'll be on crutches."

"The council has bristled at the waste of resources as I guarded him here. Guarding a guard? They have not been happy. I was only able to gain permission because I was able to guard both of you. They wanted me to return to regular duty as soon as he woke up."

"He was supposed to guard me from a hospital bed," Sasuke repeated in disbelief.

"It comes down to the bottom line. While he and I are both out of commission, revenues are being lost."

"For fuck's sake…" Sasuke growled.

"It is a testament of sorts. To him. The council feels that, even from a hospital bed, he is a more capable ninja than I am."

"That can't be true," Sasuke said.

Neji shrugged. "It is not important." He looked at Sasuke. "Before we part ways, though, I did want to speak with you. As a friend. I know you have struggled these last days and I wanted to tell you…"

Neji fidgeted uncharacteristically and Sasuke lie on his side facing him and waited.

"What is it?" he finally asked.

"I wanted to tell you…I think you do this love thing very well."

Sasuke frowned. "No, I don't."

"You do…"

"No, I keep thinking about what you said. About the tea. The blankets." Sasuke rubbed his finger along the stitching in the mattress. "I've never done those things for him."

"A stranger could do those things for him. They are comfort, not love. You have taught me that."

Sasuke looked back at Neji, who was studying the ceiling.

"What you do for him is extraordinary. You show him…inside. All of you. Everything." Neji paused. "I would have given him blankets, but it was too difficult to tell him, to show him, how I feel."

"It was a hard price to pay for me, as well. But I figured out pretty early, that was the only way to win him."

"You have taught me much, Uchiha Sasuke. Thank you."

+++

Two days later, Naruto stuffed a large stack of get-well cards into his bag and then leaned heavily on his bed.

There was such a strange feeling in the room.

Neji stood by the window, erect, his hands clasped in front of him, looking at no one.

Sasuke was quiet and tense, casting quick glances at Neji as he shoved his accumulation of things into his own bag.

Finally Sasuke moved to stand in front of Neji.

"You're so sad."

Neji just looked at him and raised a brow.

"Your sadness hurts me."

Neji bowed his head. "All is well."

"Is it me? Have I hurt you?"

"Certainly not. I have found sharing this duty with you satisfying and look forward to serving with you in the future." His voice was even more serene than usual.

"Neji…" Sasuke dropped his head and Naruto could feel his confusion and frustration. His…yearning.

Naruto let his instincts be his guide on how to interpret what he felt in the room; longing from both, loneliness from Neji. He made a decision.

"Hey, Neji. You help me with this?"

Neji bowed to Sasuke and went to Naruto, who draped his bag over Neji's shoulder. Neji tensed. He'd thought they all understood that this was a parting of ways.

"Naruto, I…" he started, but stopped as Sasuke came to stand close beside him, alert.

Naruto put a hand behind each dark head. He looked at Sasuke and pulled him in for a kiss.

"I love you, bastard."

Naruto felt the air around them fill with anticipation. Sasuke's body hummed with excitement. Neji's filled with something akin to terror

Then Naruto fisted Neji's hair, tilted his head and pulled him close, covering his lips in an equally gentle kiss. After several seconds he pulled back.

"Let's go home."

 


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I really hate transitions and this one was a bear. It is not my favorite in this story and I know that there was probably a way to make this critical transition so that I could keep readers, but I never managed to figure it out. No story is perfect and if you can get through this, as I noted before, this story is now going to become something relevant. It is now a story about families.

Sasuke poofed them all directly to their bedroom and then turned to Neji. The older brunette's eyes were wide and he was shaking.

Sasuke smoothed his hair back. "Have you ever done this?"

Neji shook his head and stuttered. "I…it's always been…for me…only him."

Sasuke nodded. "His leg is hurting him. Help me get him comfortable."

Neji nodded, but just stood there, shivering.

Sasuke turned to Naruto and began pulling at his shirt. "I love you. So much. More than anything. Never forget that."

Naruto smiled. "I know." He let Sasuke push him onto the bed, hissing as his leg was jostled.

"Neji, get his shoes. Carefully." Neji wiped his hands on his pants and knelt on the floor to remove Naruto's shoes.

"Sasuke, I'm not…"

"Sh. Let us take care of you." He lifted Naruto's legs up onto the bed. Naruto winced and held his breath.

"I…uh…can fix that." Neji said, but looked to Sasuke for approval. Sasuke raised a brow in question.

"Here," Neji said and crawled up onto the bed. He then activated his Byakugan and felt around on Naruto's thigh. Then he pressed his fingers into several spots. Naruto's head fell back onto the pillow, his sigh one of pure relief.

"That's amazing." He grinned at Neji. "Thank you.

"You…you're welcome."

Sasuke crawled up onto the mattress to kneel beside the older brunette. He gingerly pulled Naruto's pants down his legs and smiled when it didn't seem to hurt the blond at all. Sasuke caressed Neji's cheek. "Thank you."

He wrapped an arm around Neji's back and looked back at Naruto.

"He's beautiful, isn't he?"

Neji nodded and swallowed. He was in bed with a naked Naruto. In his heart of hearts, he'd never really thought this would ever happen, never believed that fate had such a thing in store for him, and he was a nervous wreck. He knew nothing about this. He had no idea how to please either of these men.

Then he found himself being pulled to stand by the bed.

"You're beautiful, too," Sasuke said and ran his hands down Neji's chest, opening his shirt as he went.

Neji's heart raced as Sasuke leaned in and brushed his lips over his neck, his chest.

"I'll take care of all of us," Sasuke said and then tilted his head and kissed him fully.

As other, stronger feelings filled him, the nervousness left him and he found himself reaching for Sasuke, needy whimpers leaving his throat. Next thing he knew, he was naked and Sasuke was touching him everywhere, growling in approval.

Naruto watched from the bed and struggled with mixed feelings. As he watched Sasuke stroke between Neji's legs, a look of desire on his face, he reminded himself that this was what he wanted, needed for Sasuke's happiness, even, possibly, his future.

 _“I can't lose everything precious to me again."_ _"Wherever you go, I go." “Without you I will die.”_

+++

Later, after Sasuke had maneuvered them so that they were lying together in the silence, Neji could feel the potential for joy in the four walls of this home. But he knew the price for admittance.

Could he be like these two? Could he hold out his entire heart for the possibility to live here with them in love and acceptance and loyalty?

He looked at Naruto spread beside him and saw the light that could be shining on him every day and every night. The light he'd coveted for years.

"Look at him." Sasuke wrapped an arm around Neji's waist from behind and whispered in his ear. "We almost lost him." Suddenly, Neji's fear seemed nothing in the face of the agony he'd felt watching Naruto's last breath and he found the courage to speak.

"I've…I've loved you for as long as I can remember. You are my friend. My hero. The sunshine in my days. I would count you as my family." He took a shaky breath. "The thought of being allowed to touch you…and being touched in return… It fills me with such…" He swallowed and continued. "Fear. Fear that I won't please you and will never be permitted to touch you again."

Naruto smiled at him and ruffled his hair. He rolled Neji over to one side and kept Sasuke on the other. Then he wrapped his arms around them and pressed one dark head to each shoulder.

Sasuke reached across his chest and laced his fingers with Neji's. Naruto knew that Sasuke was giving Neji his silent approval for his speech. He sensed that these two had an unspoken pact to share their feelings for Naruto openly and honestly.

So Naruto found himself at a loss. He now held two males in his arms, both of whom professed to love him. What could he say in return? He loved Sasuke. He hadn't sorted out his feelings for Neji.

So he answered the only part of Neji's speech that he could honestly address. He squeezed them close.

"We've been friends such a long time. Don't ever be afraid."

+++

Neji continued the routine they had established for the next couple of days, spending most of his off time with Sasuke and Naruto. But when he was on duty, he was investigating the incident with the villagers.

As he observed Naruto hopping from room to room on one foot he considered the clues that they had from the night of the incident.

It was a surprising episode. People had softened considerably toward Naruto over the years. There were still a few bitter diehards, but none that Neji would consider capable of rallying a mob with the intent to kill his friend.

He recalled the division of the mob's efforts. The more malevolent intent seemed to be directed at Sasuke, while the mob attacking Naruto was motivated by fear.

During his shift, he had questioned the civilians who had been rounded up that night. None of them seemed to recall why they had gathered outside the Uchiha gates.

There were a few, the ones who had separated themselves and went for Sasuke, who were angry that an Uchiha was back in Konoha and living like a king. But, to a man, the rest said they thought they were trying to save Konoha from Kyuubi.

Assuming they were truthful, and Ibiki had said they were, the implication was genjutsu, and a strong genjutsu at that.

He replayed the scene over and over and discerned some relevant details. There was no ninja chakra at the site except Naruto's and Sasuke's. So if a ninja was there, it was one who could cloak his or her chakra one hundred percent. While that narrowed the field considerably, it still left a fair percentage of Konoha's ninja and an unknown number of outsiders.

As he thought about it more, though, he eliminated outsiders as suspects. It seemed unlikely that an outsider would go to the trouble of infiltrating the village security and then use civilians to try to kill one of the top ninja in the world.

Also, only a Konoha ninja would know about the cuffs and thus, the possibility that Naruto was vulnerable.

But who was the target? A Konoha ninja would know that Naruto was guarding Sasuke and any attempt at all on either of the two would result in a confrontation with Naruto, so even though some villagers went after Sasuke, Neji believed the target was Naruto.

So he focused his thoughts on motive. Who in Konoha would want to harm Naruto? All ninja had enemies, but the general consensus in Konoha was that Naruto was an important part of their safety and security. Until he discerned the motive, Neji was at a loss.

Then one afternoon Naruto hobbled into the living room and collapsed onto the couch next to Neji.

"Shit! This is fucking exhausting," he sighed.

"You should rest; let me massage your leg."

"Later. Sasuke and I are gonna go see Sakura." He dug his thumbs into his thigh and winced. "Hey, wanna go with us?"

Neji stilled. Sakura? His mind raced; motive, opportunity, cloaking ability? She seemed to dislike Naruto more than anyone else in the village. No one was watching her activities. And she fell into the category of ninja who could cloak their chakra. He did frown as he considered the genjutsu. He knew that she had some training as did all ninja, but did she really have the ability to put that many people under her influence? That was almost Uchiha level. If he remembered from Genin days, she barely had more ability than an untrained civilian. Either way, it might be interesting to visit her indeed.

"If you think it won't tire her too much."

"We can try it. If it looks like too much, we can cut it short."

+++

An hour later, Naruto was propping Sakura up on a pile of pillows. He caressed her cheek gently and smoothed her hair back.

"Hi sweetie. How are you feeling?"

"Fine. How are you? I heard you had some trouble," her light tone was at odds with her intent gaze.

"Oh, you know, same old stuff. It's nothing." He dismissed her question with a wave. "We brought more company today." He pointed at Neji. "Let us know if it gets to be too much."

"Neji," she acknowledged him coolly, and then turned to Sasuke, who was sitting on the edge of her bed. Her whole demeanor changed.

"And how are you, Sasuke?" she smiled brightly and patted his hand.

"I'm well," he smiled back and laced their fingers together. "You look great."

Neji decided to test a few theories. He moved over to Sasuke and rested his arm around his shoulders. Without thought, Sasuke wrapped his free arm around Neji's waist and nuzzled his chest.

When Sakura gaped at Sasuke, Neji activated enough Byakugan to assess her temperature and blood pressure and a small measure of brain activity.

"Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"You and Neji?" Her face was flushed and she looked like she was in pain.

Sasuke looked up into Neji's face with heavy lidded eyes and said in a husky growl, "Yeah."

He turned back to Sakura. "We're trying to convince him to move the rest of his things over and stay."

"Stay? We? You and Naruto? And Neji?" She seemed to be unable to fully understand what she was seeing and hearing.

"Yeah," he repeated. "I want a bigger family."

"Family!?" She sat up. "You want _him_ to be…your _family_?"

Sasuke had stiffened.

"Yes," he said, his tone cooler than it had been.

"I…you…but what are you going to do when it's time to settle down and get married?"

Sasuke's face became impassive. "I'm not getting married."

"But…but, of…of course you will…," she stuttered. "Someday…"

"Never," he interrupted.

"But what about children? Uchiha children? You'll need a wife…"

Neji was studying this interaction intently. Sakura was experiencing a disproportionate amount of what seemed to be panic. Sasuke had a casual air about him, although Neji could feel the tension in his body. Naruto was scratching his head, uncomfortable with the tension between his loved ones.

"I don't need a wife to have children." Sasuke interrupted again, his tone light. "Anyway, the only things I really need are Neji and Naruto."

He turned to Neji.

"Hey, Neji. Speaking of Naruto, how's the investigation going into the incident last week?"

"There is a large amount of evidence. I'm fairly certain that after we finish sifting through it, we'll have our perpetrator."

"That's really great." Sasuke looked thoughtful for a moment. "Naruto is alive, but he _was_ dead. I wonder if this will carry the death penalty."

Neji looked at Sakura, whose was watching him, her eyes wide. "That will be my recommendation."

"Guys," Naruto interrupted. "You're upsetting Sakura. There's no need to discuss this here. She's still recuperating and anyway, she doesn't even know what happened."

"Of course," Sasuke smiled and squeezed Sakura's hand. "You're right."

Naruto chatted for a few more minutes and then Sasuke interrupted. "Dobe, she looks tired."

Naruto looked at Sakura and indeed, she looked terrible. "Oh, Sakura-chan, I'm sorry." He pressed his lips to her forehead. "You should have said something."

She glanced furtively between the three males. She was aware of a darkness coming from Sasuke. And she felt such a ruthless intent from Neji. She knew he knew and wondered if he was going to let her live through the night. Naruto was the only safe haven in the room.

"Naruto…" Sasuke still had her hand and suddenly she felt his chakra surge up her arm. Fear filled her in spite of Sasuke's smiling face.

"What, sweetie?" Naruto leaned toward her, squeezing her other hand.

"Uhm," she glanced back to the two dark haired ninja. "Just…uh…come again soon, okay?"

Naruto beamed at her. "Okay."

+++

Twelve hours later, while most of Konoha slept, Neji dropped to the ground several hundred meters outside Konoha's gates. He landed in the path of a chakra-cloaked ninja shrouded in a full length, hooded robe.

"Are you going to kill me?" Sakura asked.

"No." Neji answered. "I want to make sure you understand that you're never to return."

"We'll see," she said in a flip tone. "Someday Sasuke is going to want that wife so he can rebuild his clan and then I'm going to come back."

"No, you're not." Another voice came from behind her.

"Sasuke!" She gasped and turned around.

"Do not _ever_ return to Konoha." Sasuke, dressed all in black, stepped menacingly into her personal space.

"But, Sasuke," she gripped his shirt. "Everything I did, I did for you. I love you. And I know," she continued, "if you'd just give me a chance, I could make you happy and you would love me, too."

Suddenly she found two swords crossed at her throat.

"Make no mistake, if you had taken him from me," the blades shifted slightly and blood streamed from two shallow cuts on her neck, "your death would have been painful."

"Sasuke…" Shock transformed to fear as she realized that Sasuke was deadly serious. She looked into his eyes and met slowly spinning tomoes.

The three became aware of one more presence dropping from a branch overhead.

"Tsunade-shishou," Sakura bowed her head. "Please, I…"

"Don't call me that. I have never taught you anything like what you've done." Tsunade whipped a hood off her head. "You are to call me nothing, ever again."

"I…" Tears spilled down Sakura's cheek.

"Be glad I am allowing you to leave." Tsunade crossed her arms and looked to the moon. "Your public punishment would be an excellent example to the citizens of Konoha about the consequences of treason." Her jaw worked for a moment.

"But it would break his heart. So a story will be created to explain your absence and in enough time, gods willing, we will all forget that you even exist."

She turned her back. "Now go before I change my mind."

+++

"Are you okay?" Finally alone in the darkness before dawn, Neji stood before Sasuke.

Sasuke nodded, his head bowed.

"I was unsure how much you cared for her…" Neji started.

"My fondness for her was in direct proportion to how happy she made him."

Neji nodded.

"I looked into her eyes with Sharingan," Sasuke said. "Naruto’s fight with Itachi was a genjutsu. Itachi died of natural causes."

"Naruto…didn’t…?" Neji gasped.

"No," Sasuke's voice faded.

They were silent for several long moments.

"So what do we do?" Neji asked, understanding Sasuke's dilemma. "Naruto isn't stupid. If we tell him that he didn’t kill Itachi, the rest of this will come out as well."

"I know," Sasuke answered. "But do we let him go the rest of his life thinking he took my brother away from me?"

Neji looked up at the stars in thought. "I know he wishes he hadn't killed your brother, but honestly, thanks to you, I believe he can live with it."

Sasuke shrugged.

"I believe Tsunade is correct." Neji continued, thinking aloud. "A betrayal of this magnitude by Sakura would break his heart."

Sasuke nodded, straightening. "So we say nothing about Itachi and concoct a story about her absence."

Neji nodded. He wondered if his role in the triangle was going to be that of secret keeper. Already he was keeping many things from one or both of them. From Naruto, he would keep Sakura's betrayal. From Sasuke he would keep the fact that Naruto did not love him.

From both he would keep the fact that he had fallen in love with Sasuke.

He did still love Naruto and would for the rest of his life. But Naruto had not let him in. Sasuke had. Sasuke had opened his home, his arms and his heart, holding everything out for Neji.

Because he loved both of them, he would take this a day at a time, and be ready to leave if his presence threatened the happiness of either of the other two.

His musings were interrupted by a pair of warm lips covering his own. Sasuke had moved into his space and was pushing his hands into his hair.

Sasuke was basking in their decision to include Neji in their lives. Already the brunette had saved Naruto's life and heart by discovering Sakura's intentions. He felt invincible and in total control of their future. Between the two of them, nothing would ever harm Naruto or interfere with his happiness.

He tilted Neji's head and pressed his lips to the smooth neck. "When _are_ you going to move your things over?"

+++

"Wow, I'm not sure how I feel," Naruto said shaking his head. "Of course I'm happy for her. What an opportunity. They can reverse the scarring completely? If they can do that, I can see why she'd want to go and study with them."

His head drooped, "But I didn't get to say goodbye…"

"It won't be forever," Tsunade said. "And perhaps she'll write, although," she smiled and patted his leg, "honestly I only know one ninja who actually writes when he's gone."

Naruto blushed. "Well, I hope it works out for her."

Neji and Sasuke stood nearby, both holding their breaths, waiting to see how Tsunade's fabrication would go over.

"I don't know about you three," she said, "but I've had enough shit in the last couple of weeks to last the rest of my life. How about we put it all behind us and christen happier times with dinner at Ichiruka's?"

Naruto grinned, "When have you ever known me to turn down Ichiruka?"

And that was that…


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if I've changed after these five years (yikes, I sure have), but the transition from Neji and Sasuke bonding in the hospital to a place where he is a vital member of the family doesn't feel the same as it did back then. Either way, I hope you stick it out. There is a time skip coming soon that I believe puts this story on track to being the thing that impacted so many people.
> 
> As a testament to how much I've changed, the original from 5 years ago had a ton of smut. Looking at it now, I had to delete it. Have I become a prude? No, it is just too intimate and exposes too much. Until they eventually take my older works down though, there is quite a bit of smut out there. (Blushing. Too old to blush but blushing anyway.)

Naruto sighed when he felt the shower door open behind him. He knew it was Neji, had felt the brunette's intent for this all day. He turned with a smile plastered on his face.

"Hi. What's up?"

Neji studied him for a moment and then reached up and placed his hands on Naruto's chest.

"I'm not here to murder you in the shower, Naruto."

Naruto realized his eyes were squeezed shut and he was holding his breath.

"Neji…"

"Don't worry, Naruto. I came here to talk to you alone. May I speak freely?" When Naruto nodded warily, he continued. "I am very concerned about stealing your happiness. You've been very vocal that you want me here, but in truth, I believe you do not."

"That's not true. I do want you here, very much. I need you. We need you."

"I sense that he wants me, but does not need me. And you need me, but do not want me. Perhaps you need me because he wants me?"

Naruto looked down at his feet and toed the puddles by the drain. After a moment he looked back up at Neji.

"One of the things that I admire and respect about you is the way you really see people," Naruto said. "You were right when you told Sasuke that I live for his happiness."

Neji raised a brow. He wondered what else Naruto had overheard in the hospital.

"You make him feel secure," Naruto said. "Happy."

"No. You make him happy," Neji said.

Naruto nodded. "We both do. Maybe that's okay."

"Maybe, but neither of you really need me."

"He does. He loves you." Neji opened his mouth to argue, Naruto interrupted. "He does. Do you think he opens like this to everyone? He's shown you parts of himself that he's only shown to one other person. In some ways, he's shared with you more than he's shared with me. I don't think he'd ever show me the fear he's shown you."

Neji stared at his feet for several moments thinking Naruto was awake in the hospital much more than they knew.

"If what you say is true, I'm surprised you can live with that."

Naruto's face softened. "Sasuke has the most fragile heart in all of Konoha. He pieced it back together after his family died and then he pieced it back together again after Itachi came back and made him relive it. I don't know how many times a person can survive having their heart torn to pieces, but now that he's patched it all back together, he's given the whole thing to me."

Naruto's face suddenly looked fearful.

"Did you see what happened after the thing with the villagers?" Naruto asked in an anxious voice. "I'm terrified for him. I can't hold his whole heart. He won't survive when I'm gone. And he'll live in ever growing fear until the end."

"If."

"Huh?"

"If you're gone before him. You might be here another fifty years."

A flicker of irritation crossed Naruto's face and Neji felt he'd somehow added to whatever burdens Naruto already carried.

"It won't be fifty years."

"You seem sure of this."

"You know as well as anyone that there are eight other demons. All of the other vessels, with the exception of Gaara, are dead, and he's only here because someone else died in his place." Naruto rubbed his face. "For Sasuke's sake, I probably never should have gotten involved with him."

"I see," Neji said. "I understand why you want me here. You want a piece, if not all, of Sasuke's heart held elsewhere if you die." Another flicker of irritation crossed Naruto's face, but he nodded.

"I wonder how you'll feel watching me put my hands on the love of your life for the next several decades."

Then he saw it; the mask. Naruto's expression transformed into a leering grin. "You never know, I might actually learn to like it."

Neji realized that Naruto had completely pulled away. If he thought Neji wasn’t going to take his concerns seriously, he wasn't going to be serious.

"You see very clearly below Sasuke's layers. I wonder if he sees below yours."

"He can see my layers or whatever you want to call them just fine. He can handle them. It's the truth he can't handle." His face fell and he sighed tiredly. "Maybe no one can."

With that tired sigh, everything fell into place in Neji's head. Sasuke would never acknowledge the constant threat to Naruto's life. He'd blind himself with a sharp stick before looking at it. So Naruto had no one to lean on; he shouldered his particular burdens alone.

Neji didn't think that Naruto would admit that was why he needed Neji; Naruto never leaned on anyone. But at the very least, he didn't need the added burden of maintaining illusions for Neji as well as Sasuke.

What Naruto needed was an ally, both physical and emotional, in his fight with the demon, with those who would take the demon for their own purposes, and with those who would see him dead simply for housing the demon.

"Okay, Naruto. I will help you hold Sasuke's heart for whatever comes from the battle with and for Kyuubi. But you now have two arrogant, single-minded…assholes…trying to rearrange your constellations. Don't be surprised if you find that they shift."

"What if they don't?" Naruto's face was impassive.

What answer did Naruto need? What answer could he honestly give?

"Then I will miss you. You are my dearest friend and I love you. And if the future goes the way you think it will and we can't change it, I will stand up for Sasuke and I will miss you."

"Neji," Naruto wrapped his arms around Neji and sighed. "Please stay."

Neji pulled back.

"There is a price. In return you have to share everything with me." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck and scrunched his shoulders.

"Not that. We've already established where we stand there."

"That could be a problem." Naruto sighed. "If Sasuke thinks he's the only one that wants you that way, he could ask you to leave."

"What do you suggest?"

Naruto fidgeted for several moments, silent.

"I can do anything for him." He looked at his feet again. "Even pretend…or…put on a show."

He winced and covered his face with his hands. "Gods, Neji, I'm sorry. You don't deserve this."

"We will have to be convincing." Neji ignored Naruto's apology. "Sasuke is proud. He won't stand for being manipulated or deceived."

Naruto leaned in and pressed his forehead to Neji's with a sigh.

"Naruto, this arrangement has much to offer me; a passionate love, a dear friend, a future that I thought was impossible before this week." He touched Naruto's cheek. "A family of my own."

Naruto smiled, "Don't forget, fucking like bunnies."

Neji nodded and rubbed his ass cheek. "Indeed."

Naruto laughed. "You know, he does like both positions." He leaned in and continued, "In fact, he really likes letting someone else take control."

Neji's look indicated that he patently did not believe that.

"Seriously. I wouldn't lie to you about that."

Neji looked unconvinced.

"Honest. You could always try it and see how it goes."

"I don't know him that well yet. I don't trust my ability to read him. If I did try something like that, how would I know if he liked it or not?"

"He's very subtle," Naruto said gravely. "You would have to use all your powers of observation. An example would be…" Naruto looked thoughtful and tapped his lip with his fingertip. "If you found yourself on your back with his dick up your ass, he wasn't in the mood. The clue would be the kunai at your throat."

At Neji's alarmed look, he added, "Or if you found yourself on your knees with his dick down your throat, he probably wasn't in that kind of mood. The clue in that case would be a fistful of your hair in one hand and the Chidori in the other."

Humor had replaced the uncertain look on Neji's face.

"He can be hard to read, but he will keep giving you clues if you look carefully. If you wake up in the hospital with his dick up your ass…" Naruto shrugged. "Well, you get the idea."

Naruto grinned at Neji and then blinked, unable to read the look on his face. "What?"

"Passion, humor and a well of love so deep, you can't see the bottom." He held Naruto's hands. "If I had such a thing, I don't know if I'd share it."

"Under normal circumstances, I don't know if either of us would. And I kind of feel bad, because we’re both using you, for different reasons. But if you and I keep a certain distance, you can have an amazing life with him. You and I just can't get any closer." Naruto shrugged.

"It's too late for that. You have already agreed to my price." Naruto leaned away and Neji followed. "I will try to help protect his heart, but you have agreed to let me help you carry your burden."

"You can't help me carry my burden," Naruto sighed in exasperation. "Don't you get it?"

"Alright, I misspoke. You have agreed to let me help you so you can carry your burden more easily."

"I don't understand." Naruto sounded exhausted. "What do you want from me?"

"I want nothing from you. I would ask that I be allowed to give something to you. I want you to talk to me. Share with me your fears and your doubts, and your strategies and plans." He gripped Naruto's arms. "Give me the things you can't share with him. So that you are not alone in this."

A vista opened before Neji. For a time he had felt like an interloper. But now he saw that this little family did need him. Their burdens were overwhelming and he could help them.

In return, he would have a family of his own and love from both men, albeit in two different forms. Indeed, he had a passionate lover as well as a devoted friend. And he could have a purpose. An important purpose that filled him with a strength he didn't realize he had. In fact, at this moment, he felt stronger than these two men, the most powerful ninja alive.

Sasuke had brought him here to give Naruto an abundance of love and happiness; and ties to life. He, irrationally, hoped that if he gave the blond enough reasons to live, he would live.

Naruto wanted Neji to give Sasuke reasons to live after he was gone. Whether he would really die young or not was irrelevant; the point was that Naruto truly thought he would.

As he looked at these two desperate men, he envisioned a hideous outcome. Excruciating pain could easily be coming their way. He wanted to wrap the truth in a thick ball of denial as Sasuke had, but he realized he had become the key to the happiness of these two people. And he felt equal to it.

He slid his hands down and cupped Naruto's hand.

"Naruto, you understand that love isn't about what you receive, it's about what you are able to give. Let me to hold and protect this." He hefted the hand. "Allow me give that to you."

"Neji…" Naruto smiled softly, pushing the fingers of his free hand into the hair at Neji's temple.

"Mmm. My two favorite men. And they're naked." The pair had not heard Sasuke come into the bathroom. "And it looks like I'm here just in time." He crossed his arms. "Don't let me stop you. I'll just watch."

Naruto snorted and pressed his forehead to Neji's.

"I have the most amazing luck." Neji knew that Naruto was referring to bad luck, but that Sasuke would take it another way. He started to say something to stop this when Naruto gripped his head in both hands and gave him a brain melting kiss.

His mind cleared and heat built around him as he dangled from Naruto's lips. Naruto pulled back after several long moments.

"You really have no idea what you're in for, Neji. If you did you'd be running for your life." Sasuke had Naruto's arm over his shoulder and was helping him to the bedroom while towing Neji along by the elbow.

At Neji's blank look he snickered. "Wait until the day he brings home two milkmaids and a goat and says "party's on!"

Neji's eyes cleared and he looked from one to the other. Finally he looked at Sasuke, "He's not serious is he?"

"Absolutely not. I'd never bring home milkmaids." Naruto snorted in laughter.

He looked to Naruto then, "Is he joking?"

"No." Naruto's eyes twinkled. "He wouldn't bring home milkmaids." Then he took pity on the uncertain look on Neji's face and plundered his mouth again, determined to make the best of this, listening for the hitches in Sasuke's breath.

"Someone is going to get their brains fucked out," Naruto growled. "Is it going to be you or is it going to be me?"

"Actually, it is going to be him." Neji pointed to Sasuke. "Naruto, if you will assist me, I would speak with him about the pain in my ass."

+++

"I have to go." Neji's voice was sleep roughened. Sasuke stretched on top of him and rubbed his cheek against the smooth chest. Then he rolled to the side so Neji could get up.

"What time did Naruto get up?"

When Neji didn't answer, Sasuke rubbed his eyes and looked up. Neji was midway pulling on pants. "He didn't sleep with us."

Sasuke stiffened. Then he rubbed his face with both hands in agitation. "God damn it."

Neji moved to gather the pile of his things that had begun to accumulate in the corner of the bedroom. This wasn't part of the deal. He hadn't expected Naruto to shove him and Sasuke together and then separate himself.

"Wait." Sasuke stood and intercepted him.

"I will not come between you."

"You aren't. You can't." He looked fierce. "I wouldn't let you."

"My first priority is Naruto and the relationship he has with you."

"You can't hurt that. You can only make it better. I'll talk to him."

Neji looked uncertain.

"I want you here. He wants you here. It's just going to take some time to work out the kinks."

Neji was still silent, unmoving. Sasuke moved into his space and ran his hands over his naked torso, tangled his fingers in the hair swirling around his chest.

"You are so fucking gorgeous," Sasuke said in a husky voice, his eyes following the path of his fingers.

"Your physical attributes stimulate me, as well."

"I love it when you talk dirty." Sasuke's lips twitched.

Neji tilted his head and pushed a lock of hair off Sasuke's brow. "Passion, humor and a well of love so deep you can't see the bottom."

"Yes, he's…"

"Not him." Neji stroked a fingertip along Sasuke's jaw. "You."

Heat built in Sasuke's eyes. "Come back after your shift."

"Let's leave it up to him."

+++

It didn't take long to find Naruto; he was sitting on the roof watching the sun finish its appearance over the horizon.

Sasuke crawled into Naruto's lap, wrapping his legs around the hard torso, his arms around the strong neck.

"He's gone."

"What time will he be back?"

"He's not coming back."

"What?" Naruto looked alarmed. "Why not?"

"You tell me. Explain to me what last night was about and you'll be getting close."

"I wasn't tired."

Sasuke just looked at him, his lips pursed, waiting.

"Okay. It's just that I've had years to build a bond with him, and I thought I'd give you two a chance…"

Sasuke sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Let me know when you plan to get somewhere near the truth, okay?"

"That is the truth." Naruto defended.

Sasuke tilted his head and studied his lover. "Maybe partially, but mostly bullshit. You're trying to allow him and me to build a bond that you haven't built with him yet? Do you think I'm stupid? Do you think I don't know you?"

"We'll meet him tonight and get him back." Naruto ignored Sasuke's observations.

"No."

"Don't you want him here? I thought you and he..." Naruto shrugged.

"I wouldn't mind exploring this. But not if he comes between us." Sasuke arched a brow. "If you put him between us."

"That's not what I was trying to do." Naruto sighed. "It's just I can see you're attracted to him...care for him. And I'd do anything for you, give anything to you." He pressed his lips to Sasuke's. "If you wanted that mountain, I'd grind it to dust and put it in a small box to keep under your pillow."

"Well, then it wouldn't be a mountain anymore, would it? It would be dust." Sasuke smirked.

"Tch. Jerk. You know what I mean."

"Naruto, if I wanted a mountain, I wouldn't want you to turn it into something else. And I don't want a mountain if giving it to me crushes you underneath it." He threaded his fingers through the blond strands at Naruto's temples. "I would like to try this with Neji. The idea of a larger family appeals to me. But if he started to come between you and me, I'd carry him bridal-style up to the head of the Sandaime and toss him over the edge."

"You are such a romantic bastard."


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto's mother enjoys reading what you think of her boy.

"Relax. They said they're bringing everything," Sasuke said to Neji, who kept casting anxious glances at the kitchen.

"Just get those pillows and help me get Naruto set up under the tree."

The Sisters had asked if they could visit for a time, saying they'd bring enough food for everyone along with enough to save for a couple of days while they still dealt with Naruto's recovery.

Finally they were on each side of Naruto acting as his crutches, hopping him out to the shade tree where a blanket and pile of pillows waited.

"I don't understand why I keep losing those crutches," Naruto huffed. "I could have sworn I used them to get to bed last night and tucked them under the mattress. But this morning they weren't there."

Neji watched Sasuke blush as he answered, "Who knows. Anyway, you don't need them as long as we're here. I like taking care of you."

A few minutes later, Sasuke leaned Naruto forward and slid between him and the tree trunk, leaning him back into his arms just as a commotion could be heard from the front of the house.

A large herd of excited children came hurtling out into the back garden and Sasuke's eyes widened in alarm as he remembered Naruto being mobbed by this same group before. He was preparing to throw a shield around them when a whistle pierced the din.

All movement stopped and everyone turned to Neji who stood with one hand up.

"Stop. Look. Think." He pointed at Naruto.

The children did look and then inched forward, their eyes wide, their mouths open.

"Oh, does it hurt?" one asked touching Naruto's wrapped leg with the tip of one finger.

"A little. Thank you for asking."

"You can't play with us today?" another asked, pouting.

"I will play with you," Neji said and the children crowed with excitement and crowded around his legs.

"Yay!"

"We've been practicing."

"Sit, I'll be right back," Neji said, then went into the house. He was back in a couple of minutes wearing only a pair of shorts, his hair tied up.

As he reached the grass, he turned his back on the children and Sasuke could feel their excitement. Then Neji leaped and threw himself backward, landing on his hands in a handstand.

Naruto chuckled as the kids squealed and clapped.

"He's so fucking graceful."

"Yeah, he is," Sasuke agreed. His mouth watered as he watched the display of muscle and coordination as Neji walked on his hands among the children.

Then Jomei and one of the older girls jumped up and kicked into handstands as well.

"Toss us!" "Help me!"

The other kids scrambled up and each worked on some level of acrobatics. Neji had gotten to his feet and was helping one of the younger boys keep his balance as he tried to imitate the older kids.

He'd also made a clone that was currently spotting another tiny girl while she did one back handspring after another around the garden.

The sisters laughed and clapped and Sasuke's body was tense with pent up adrenaline from watching the fun.

"Go play," Naruto said, squeezing his arms. "I'm fine."

Sasuke only hesitated a second before he got up and dashed into the house to change into shorts as well.

A few minutes later he was surrounded by excited children also.

"Yay!" "Play with us!" "Can you do this stuff, too?"

Sasuke looked at Neji and grinned at him. "Think you can you hold me?"

"I can hold him," Neji pointed at Naruto and Sasuke raised a brow.

Then Neji positioned himself on his back with his legs up, making an L of his body.

Sasuke grasped Neji's feet and pressed himself up into a handstand as the kids squealed.

"Ready?"

"Hn."

Neji put his hands on the ground by his head and rolled and pushed until he was upright on his arms and they were both stretched out completely, Sasuke's toes nearly fifteen feet in the air.

"Ready?"

"Yeah," Sasuke laughed, basking in the exertion of his muscles.

Neji bent his legs then shoved sharply, sending Sasuke skyward. Sasuke twisted and flipped, then landed lightly on his feet.

The children were beside themselves.

"Me! Me!" "Push me!" "Teach me!"

The next hour, Sasuke and Neji played with the children. Neji worked with the more advanced kids, showing them a few team tricks. Sasuke found himself drawn to the smaller children, and was surprised at his own patience as he showed the tiniest how to balance on one foot or roll forward and backward.

He'd always been a student, never a teacher and found the new role supremely satisfying. The children hung on his words and looked up to him. They were so eager to meet his expectations and please him, trying diligently to earn every bit of praise they could get from him.

Finally the sisters called out that it was time to eat. After the meal, Neji and Sasuke sat on the blanket with Naruto while the children burned off the rest of their energy.

"Do you think a pond on their property," Sasuke pointed toward the kitchen where the sisters were doing the dishes," would be dangerous?"

Naruto looked thoughtful and Sasuke continued, "I grew up with…"

"Hey, Sasuke!"

"…one."

Sasuke looked at the child on his right. "You interrupted."

"Huh?"

"I was speaking to Naruto and you interrupted."

"Oh." The child's face fell.

"Observation. Walk up, look at the person and do not speak until they are finished talking." Sasuke patted the boy's leg. "Respect."

"Okay," the child said and Sasuke turned back to Naruto.

When he looked at Naruto, who was biting his lip, his eyes glittering, he completely forgot what they were talking about, but wanted to make his point, nonetheless.

"So the leaves fell off the tree. I went and got a rake and cleaned them up."

Naruto's jaw worked for a moment as he struggled to keep a straight face, then he said, "That was the perfect thing to do. With the leaves."

After a meaningful pause, Sasuke looked at the boy at his side, who was still there, his need to say whatever it was making him ready to burst.

"Okay," Sasuke said. "What can I do for you?"

Like a corked bottle that had been sitting in the sun, the pressure blew and four hundred words spewed from the boy's mouth before he could even take his next breath.

It amounted to, "Watch me do a back handspring," which Sasuke did and then praised the boy generously.

But for the next half an hour, one child after another raced up to Sasuke's side and looked expectantly at him until he finished his sentence then said,

"Hey, Sasuke!"

Naruto chewed the inside of his cheek raw as he watched Sasuke deal with the kids trying to learn the boundaries he'd set.

"Hey, Sasuke! Watch me!"

"Hey, Sasuke! Look at this stick I found."

"Hey, Sasuke! My goldfish's name is Bryan."

Then one ran up, looked at Sasuke's face and yelled, "Hey, Sasuke!"

Sasuke ignored him. He tried again.

"Hey, Sasuke!"

Sasuke, again, ignored him.

The child's face fell and he whispered, "Sasuke?"

"You interrupted again," Sasuke said.

"Nuh uh!"

"You did."

"I looked right at your face and your mouth was closed."

"I was listening. Naruto was speaking."

The child's mouth fell open. Then he looked at Naruto and bowed his head.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-san."

Naruto pulled the boy to sit on his good leg.

"It's okay. But Sasuke's right. Look, listen, respect. It makes a good ninja and a good friend."

Predictably, twenty minutes later a small girl came to stand by Naruto and Sasuke. She watched and waited as they finished the topic they were discussing. When they looked at her, she bowed.

"Hey, Sasuke. Look."

She stepped aside and pointed to Neji.

"I made him pwetty."

Naruto barked in laughter and Sasuke buried his face in his hands for several moments trying to come up with a reasonably straight face.

There sat Neji, his hair a veritable bird's nest.

Evidently, another time-honored, favored activity, at least for the girls, was playing with Neji's hair.

As Sasuke attempted to identify some of the things protruding from Neji's scalp, Neji sniffed and repeated in a serene voice,

"She made me pretty."

Finally, as the sun made it's decent for the day, the house was quiet once again. Sasuke eased Naruto onto the couch while Neji took stock of the kitchen.

Naruto sighed tiredly as Sasuke settled himself astride his lap.

Sasuke smiled as he pushed Naruto's hair back behind his ears.

"I love this life I have with you," he whispered. "And I am so excited to see what our future can be."

Sasuke covered Naruto's lips with his own and Naruto's heart swelled at the emotions he felt coming from his lover; peace, joy and a love so strong and sincere.

Sasuke gripped Naruto's head and kissed him deeply, passionately.

"Love you…"

"Beautiful…"

"So happy…"

He wasn't so lost, however that he missed Neji hesitating at the kitchen door. Without raising his head, he held his arm out.

Sasuke touched Neji's shoulder. "Help me get him to bed."

Sensing this need in Sasuke, Naruto let them pick him up and carry him to the bedroom and comfortable in bed.. He accepted a kiss from each of them and then watched as Sasuke took Neji by the hand and pulled him toward the bathroom.

"Come on, Rapunzel. Let's see if we can wash the rest of the forest out of your hair."

Just as he was dozing, a crash roused him. He opened his eyes in time to see Neji and Sasuke slamming into the door jam. They were both wet and, though their faces were glued together, they were gripping each other's wrists and obviously struggling.

The balance between the two shifted back and forth several times, and Naruto watched as Sasuke bit Neji's neck sharply and Neji retaliated by sinking his teeth into Sasuke's shoulder muscle.

They were panting harshly and finally Neji jerked one arm free and yanked Sasuke's head backward by his hair. When Sasuke's eyes glazed over at the aggressive move, Neji pressed the advantage and swept Sasuke's legs, taking them both to the floor.

Neji growled and hooked his arms behind Sasuke's knees. As he bit Sasuke's jaw, he flexed his hips, impaling Sasuke with a guttural cry.

Sasuke reached for Neji's hair, but found his arms pinned over his head. His back scraped on the rug as Neji slammed into him over and over.

Naruto swallowed around the lump in his throat. He had known that this would happen; that this would be a part of this arrangement. It wouldn't always be the three of them. Sometimes it would be just Sasuke and him and sometimes…it would be Sasuke and Neji.

He had blown off Neji's observation, "I wonder how you'll feel watching me put my hands on the love of your life for the next several decades."

He'd quipped back, "You never know, I might actually learn to like it."

Could he learn to like it? He didn't know. Could he learn to live with it? He'd have to, wouldn't he?

He made himself watch the passion that raged between the two locked together on the floor. 'It's okay,' he kept telling himself. Look at their faces. Look at their eyes. They have the potential to build something strong. Something that could withstand…anything that the future might bring.

He watched as they lie together after, whispering to each other, touching each other with special tenderness, assuring each other that no boundaries were crossed, affirming that there had been only pleasure.

Sasuke pulled Neji's head to his chest and stroked his hair, sighing in contentment. Then he turned his head and met Naruto's gaze.

Unease slithered through his belly at something in Naruto's eyes. Then his stomach threatened to crawl up his throat completely at what he saw next. Naruto smiled at him. It was _that_ face, the mask.

"You two should come up here where it's comfortable," Naruto said, holding out his hand.

Sasuke nudged Neji and the two got up and crawled into the bed with Naruto, each taking a shoulder.

"I love you, Naruto," Sasuke whispered, a tiny note of panic in his voice.

"I know. I love you, too."

Sasuke rested his hand on Naruto's heart and looked at Neji, who was quiet and had his eyes closed, trying, Sasuke suspected, to be invisible.

Tomorrow they had to talk.

+++

When Neji rose and got ready to leave for the day, Sasuke eschewed all but a quick, "See you later," opting to stay in bed, wrapped in Naruto's arm. Neji nodded, grabbed his Anbu gear and quietly slipped out of the room.

The two lie in silence for a time. Finally Sasuke broke the silence.

"I can't live with this."

Naruto swallowed hard. "What?"

"I can't live with that face of yours."

Naruto felt his eyes burn. "My face?"

"No," Sasuke said impatiently. "Not your face. That face you gave me last night. The _mask_."

Sasuke sat up so he could look at Naruto.

"I can't live with your unhappiness and I can't live with you lying to me."

"Sasuke…"

"I'm going to ask him to leave."

Naruto sat up. "No. Don't do that."

"Naruto, I have to. I can live without him. I can't live without you." He rubbed his face. "If I ever have to see that smile on your face again…"

"Please don't. I don't want him hurt. And I do want him here. Just…" Naruto pushed a hand through his hair. "Just give me some time."

Sasuke stared at the bed.

"Listen," Naruto said. "I have no experience with families. I've never learned how to love more than one person."

Sasuke raised his head and looked at Naruto, gauging the honesty of Naruto's words.

"I do want a family, though," Naruto continued. "I really do, but you have to teach me how. Both of you do."

Sasuke still just listened, anxious about that fact that he had to try to interpret the truth of what Naruto was saying. He was coming to appreciate his friend's skill at hiding his true feelings; how good Naruto was at handing out just enough truth to throw off anyone who wasn't looking hard enough.

"I care about Neji," Naruto said. "He means the world to me. You are the love of my life. I would consider myself lucky to be able to share my life with you two."

He leaned in and pressed his lips to Sasuke's.

"Give me a chance." He kissed Sasuke again. "Give me some time. I'll try."

Finally Sasuke sighed. He knew Naruto was being honest, but had this feeling that there was…more that wasn't being said.

"Okay. But know this. I'm watching you." Sasuke pressed his lips to Naruto's. "If I ever see that face from you again, he's gone." He raised his brow. "Do you understand me? You have to be honest with me. I love you too much to gamble. If I have to guess about whether you're happy or not, I'll get rid of him just to be safe."

Naruto thought about his goals for this family, what the next years could bring and found he could honestly tell Sasuke,

"At this point, I would be unhappy if he left. It would hurt all three of us. I really do want him here."

And Sasuke sighed, knowing it was the truth, but suspecting not all of it.


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to those who are reading this story. Feel free to drop me a line anytime.

"I have been to see my fam…" Neji straightened and cleared his throat. "The Hyuugas."

"What happened?"

"I've been disowned, dishonored and disinherited." He slumped. "If I'd stayed on the porch another minute, I believe I would have been dismembered and disemboweled as well."

"Why?"

"There is a list, you see." He ticked on his fingers. "Associating with an Uchiha is one. Associating with an Uzumaki is another. Having relations with a male is yet another. Having relations with two males takes it over the top. I've come to learn that my uncle's disappointment in me defies coherent description."

"What did you say?"

His face softened. "I told him I was going into the fluffy pink bunny business. If it's okay with you two, I'd like to become an official board member."

"I think it would do wonders for our market position," Sasuke said, taking his hand.

Suddenly, there was a rapid knock on their door. Naruto opened it and Hinata burst inside, looking around frantically. When she spotted Neji on the couch, she rushed over and knelt at his feet.

Neji-san," she sighed in relief, her hands clasped at her breast. "You are well. I have been so worried."

"What's going on, Hinata?" Naruto asked.

"My father is so very upset." She looked at Neji. "I know it is because of your visit this morning."

He nodded. "He disapproves of this arrangement." He indicated Naruto and Sasuke.

"Neji," Naruto gasped. "Your seal..."

Sasuke stiffened. "Do you think your uncle would…"

"Of course not," Neji's voice wasn't entirely convincing. He hadn't told Sasuke the whole truth about his father. "Surely, he wouldn't…over something like…" He voice faded.

"Would your father use the seal on him?" Sasuke asked Hinata bluntly.

"I…I'm not sure," she stuttered. "Under normal circumstances he is very rational and that would be irrational. But he has a monstrous temper and sometimes he becomes…" She looked at Neji. "You know how he can get."

"Can you get rid of it?" Sasuke cut in again.

She leaned in and pushed Neji's hair aside. "He has not taught me the technique. I don't think he trusts me completely."

Then she smiled, "But I think I can do it anyway." She took Neji's hands. "I made a point to learn the secret years ago, in the hopes that I could help you someday. To make sure you never suffered any more hurt at the hands of a fellow Hyuuga."

Neji's breath caught. "Hinata…"

"Can I help you, cousin?"

Neji was absolutely mortified when a tear slid down his cheek despite his best effort to stop it.

As he considered the changes in his life and the surprises coming his way daily, fate was looking more and more like a child's fairytale.

+++

Neji finally made his way to the porch, carrying two cups of tea. Sasuke was out there alone, studying the constellations, and Neji had been aware of his wish to speak to him privately all day.

The two stood side by side sipping from their cups for a time, Neji waiting for Sasuke to say what was on his mind.

"So are you staying?"

"I'd like to be certain that this is what both of you want."

"It is."

"If I had what you two have, I don't know that I'd share."

"You would," Sasuke said, blowing on his tea. "That's what a family is."

Neji studied Sasuke for a moment.

"Your perspective and Naruto's are not the same. While each of you has an endless capacity to love, you would be able to give equal amounts to whomever you deemed to be family, whether that is one person or one thousand. Whoever becomes your family, by heart, by writ or by blood, would be the recipient of one hundred percent of your love, your industry, your protection, your loyalty.

"Naruto is the same in his capacity to give love," Neji continued, "but he only sees you."

Sasuke shrugged. "He just doesn't know. And as you pointed out, it's our responsibility to show him. Everyone should be part of a family, especially him. Imagine for a moment, Naruto as a father."

"Naruto would be the finest of fathers."

"Do you think it would make him happy?" Sasuke asked shrewdly.

"I do," Neji answered.

Sasuke nodded. "But he would never choose that route for himself because he doesn't know what he doesn't know. We have to show him. So I am asking. Will you commit to us?"

"I'd like to stay."

Sasuke set his cup on the rail and turned toward the other brunette.

"I need to know because I want to start a family."

Neji set his cup down as well, and looked at Sasuke. He nodded, "Yes, the Uchiha genes…"

"No," Sasuke interrupted. "Uzumaki."

Neji waited.

Sasuke turned toward Hokage Mountain, taking in the humbling display of faces; Konoha's heroes, Naruto's father, and someday soon, Naruto. After a moment he continued.

"Everyone's always been so fixated on the Uchiha gene pool, touting its strength and importance from one end of Konoha to the other. I don't understand why Naruto's lineage is ignored here."

He turned back to Neji. "It carries a history of the strongest ninja in the world. It stands for nobility, devotion and sacrifice." He rubbed his face. "The Uchiha legacy is filled with insanity and instability. If any of us should have kids, it should be Naruto."

Neji reached up and fingered Sasuke's hair. "As I come to know you, I'm discovering such a remarkable man."

"Naruto has made me…"

"You never give yourself enough credit. An amazing heart beats in that chest of yours. Naruto may play a part in uncovering the diamond that you are, but you are still a diamond, nonetheless."

"Neji…"

"I want to tell you; since I don't think it will be unwelcome…I love you."

"Neji…" Sasuke put his hands on Neji's chest. Neji grasped his wrists.

This was the thing they did. Sasuke would either free himself or not, telling Neji what he wanted, with degrees of variation.

More often than not, Sasuke wanted Neji to take charge.

As an Uchiha, Sasuke spent nearly every waking second consumed with trying to control the world around him, often butting heads against immovable forces.

For these few minutes, with these two men, he could relinquish control and feel completely safe in doing so. It was such a relief to let go, let someone else be in control for this time. No judgments, no ridicule, just pleasing one another.

What he'd developed with Neji was different than what he had with Naruto, however. With Naruto, he yearned to hold himself out, almost begging the blond to master him.

With Neji, he needed to make the brunette fight for it a bit. Sometimes with Neji, the balance would shift back and forth and once in a while something would rear its head and Sasuke would press Neji.

Usually not, though. He'd learned as a child that everything came with a cost. Indeed he was uncomfortable with anything that he didn't pay for. If he didn't pay for something, it wasn't really his and could disappear. So he needed the slight, initial discomfort that came with that position. It was the price he paid for something he didn't really deserve outright.

No matter how the struggles with Neji ended, though, it was always exhilarating.

And now as the two tussled for control, Sasuke felt joy and gratitude for the miraculous life in which he found himself, for this second chance.

As Neji finally pressed him onto his back, Sasuke cupped his face and looked hard into his eyes.

"I love you, too."

+++

Naruto sat on a rooftop nearby, having also sensed Sasuke's need to speak with Neji alone. He wrapped his arms around his knees and looked to the sky, unseeing. As was often the case, his enhanced hearing was giving him more information than he wanted.

He wasn't sure how he felt.

In his secret, perfect world, it would be Sasuke and him. And the children Sasuke wanted.

Then again, in his secret perfect world, he would not have a demon inside him, promising to bring his world, his life down around him in flames.

But he did have the demon, and even now, many enemies were out there, plotting to take his life.

He sighed. If he flipped it sideways, however, and looked again at his secret, perfect world, what he really, truly wanted was Sasuke's happiness. If he lived one year or a hundred, that was what would give him joy. And Neji made Sasuke happy.

So he was still getting what he wanted, it was just the side entrance.

He'd always been fond of Neji, who had an amazing soul and who had been there for him when others had not.

He would come to love Neji, he knew, was coming to treasure him more and more every day. It just would never be the soul searing emotion he felt for Sasuke.

He shrugged mentally; maybe he needed to get used to that notion; because he would love children differently than he loved Sasuke also.

Then he blinked and his heart lurched as a truth hit him and he began to understand what his lovers were talking about. That's how families were made. Parents and siblings and children, all had different types of love for each other.

As he sat there in the darkness, it all became clear. He suddenly saw what Sasuke saw all along; a growing family. His breath caught and goose bumps covered his skin as he pictured himself as part of a clan, a growing sea of humanity; a future that extended beyond himself; touching lives and being touched in return.

He was going to die one day, they all were. But Neji and Sasuke knew a secret that he hadn't known, and they were trying to share it with him. He realized that it must have been a secret his own parents had known. That secret was family. And that meant a history; a time before he was born. And it meant a future; life and love even after he was gone. The number of years didn't really matter. It was the quality of those years. The mark one made. The happiness one created in others' lives.

He would agree to this request for Uzumaki children. And he would embrace what he was learning with Neji, how to take his love, spread it, and cast it toward the future.

The years ahead no longer seemed disconnected, hollow, irrelevant. Because he, Uzumaki Naruto, would be there, if not in body, then is spirit. His children and his children's children would walk the earth, leaving footprints, shaping fortunes and futures in their own spheres of influence, giving his father's life and his own life, and indeed Sasuke's and Neji's lives significance beyond their personal accomplishments and failures.

He was basking in the fullness he felt in his heart when he heard Sasuke again across the compound.

"No. Stop."

"What's wrong?"

"Can't you feel it? He needs us."

There was a moment of silence then Sasuke continued.

"I want him here. I need him here. With us."

Seconds later, two brunettes appeared on the roof and Naruto was so happy to see both of them.

Sasuke knelt in front of him, trying to understand the emotion he felt coming from him.

Neji knelt next to Sasuke and took one of Naruto's hands, his expression one of concern as well.

"Naruto?"

Naruto smiled and put a palm over each heart.

"My family..."

+++

When Naruto woke up the next morning, Neji was sitting on the foot of the bed and Sasuke was propped against the dresser at the end. They were both looking at him. He sat up and the sheet pooled in his lap.

"He did it." He pointed at Neji, who huffed a quiet laugh.

"Tch. Idiot." Sasuke rolled his eyes. "We want to talk to you."

"It was an accident."

Sasuke shifted once and then shifted again. Then he inhaled. "I want a child."

Naruto blinked. He hadn't expected this conversation quite so soon. But then, he realized, this was Sasuke; he should have known better.

"To be more specific, I…rather, _we_ want your child."

"This is seriously the weirdest dream I've ever had."

"What Sasuke is trying to say is that," now Neji shifted uncharacteristically, "is that we want your child."

Naruto stuck his finger in his ear and wiggled it. "Thank you for the…uh…clarification." Neji blushed as Sasuke smacked him on the back of the head.

Naruto leaned back on his hands and looked back and forth between the two dark haired ninja. "Why mine?"

"We want a child and we thought about the options; Uchiha, Hyuuga, Uzumaki. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

Naruto nodded. "Definitely. Your babies probably come with tiny raincoats to go with the little black storm clouds they're born with."

Both dark haired shinobi raised their eyebrows at him.

"Seriously guys. Should we really be having kids at all? What if…something…happens to one of us one day?" Neji could feel Sasuke's chakra spike and he interrupted.

"We are all shinobi," he said. I'm Anbu. Sasuke will be Anbu in a matter of weeks. Besides that, Sasuke could fall off the roof replacing those tiles next week, or choke on a rice ball tomorrow."

"Excuse me?" Sasuke put his hands on his hips and pursed his lips in Neji's direction.

"Don't fall into living for the end," Neji said to Naruto. "The end is planned. We know you've seen to that. For now, we ask that you try not to predict the date and enjoy the journey. With us."

Naruto chewed on his lip.

Finally Sasuke pounced on him and pinned him to the mattress.

"Look, I love you more than life and I want to raise your child."

"Well, why didn't you just say so instead of all this gene-pool bullshit?" Naruto grinned.

"Neji, help me. Now that it's settled, I'm going to inspect the quality of Naruto's sperm." And he shoved his head under the sheet.

+++

Next up: First of four (count 'em) time skips...


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the first of FOUR time skips. M-preg? Never!

_One year later..._

Naruto paced around nervously.

"Would you sit down, brat?"

Naruto did as he was told, dropping to the carpet onto his butt right where he stood. But he was only still for a second; he scrambled to his knees and crawled over to the pregnant blond woman sitting before Tsunade.

"Tomorrow. No later than the next day," Tsunade said as she stuffed equipment back into a bag.

"Aah!" Naruto gasped for the umpteenth time and slapped his forehead. "I'm gonna be a father!" He turned on his hands and knees to face the occupants of the sofa nearby. "We're gonna be fathers!" He fell back on his butt again.

"Dobe, we've known this for nine months now." Sasuke sat serenely next to Neji, one leg elegantly crossed over the other. Jomei stood behind the sofa, fidgeting, unable to make his eleven year old body remain still for long.

Naruto got back on his hands and knees and crawled over to the protruding belly now at eye level. With a quick glance at the woman to assure, yet again, that she was okay with it, he reverently placed his hands over the small bump that was moving slowly across the larger expanse of belly.

"That's a foot, ya think?"

The woman nodded and smiled fondly.

"Guys, you should feel this. It is...gods, it's just amazing."

Sasuke just smiled and reached for Neji's hand. The last year had been quite a journey for the three men. After gaining Naruto's agreement a year ago, the matter really had been straight forward enough. They traveled to several neighboring civilian villages and found Choriko, a poor young widowed woman with two children of her own and who looked enough like Naruto to ensure that any children would probably resemble Naruto and the Yondaime.

When they proposed that she would be able to support her children in comfort for the rest of her life in exchange for her help, she was willing to travel to Konoha, carry Naruto's child and then return to her own village to raise the two children she already had.

Now she was here and within days, hours, of the end of her term. She had a sweet disposition and Sasuke couldn't have been happier with how their plans had unfolded.

"Hey!" Naruto sounded panicked. "What if it's a boy?" Then his eyes widened even further. "Oh gods," he whispered. "What if it's a girl? What the hell…uhm, heck…are we going to do about all the guys that are gonna come around?"

Choriko giggled and rubbed her belly.

Naruto scrambled over to Sasuke's and Neji's legs again. "She's gonna need brothers." He wagged his finger and got a knowing look on his face. "You know kids need brothers. We're definitely going to need Uchiha and Hyuuga brothers."

Sasuke fought the burning behind his eyes and finally answered, "Dobe, let's get this one born and out of diapers."

"Di...di..." Sasuke thought Naruto might start hyperventilating. "Diapers?

"Hey Choriko..." gold eyes sought the woman.

"No, no Naruto-san. After this I go home and the baby is all yours."

"Grandma?"

Tsunade's eyebrows rose into her hairline. "What the hell…uhm, heck…do you think I know about diapers?"

Naruto looked at Jomei, whose eyes widened in alarm, but Naruto just shook his head and muttered, "Uhm, no."

Tsunade finished shoving instruments into her bag and Sasuke stood to walk her to the door. Jomei came around the sofa and dropped to the floor by Naruto.

"Naruto?" Jomei said. "I thought of it a long time ago and then I talked to the Sisters and they said it was okay and then I asked Tsunade and she said she thought it was okay, too and maybe even a good idea and I know there are a lot of men in the family already, but I think that maybe a family can't have too many men and lots of fathers and brothers seems to be a good thing in my family, I mean the kids like it and not say that the Sisters aren't…"

"Breathe!" Naruto clapped a hand over Jomei's mouth. "Just say it."

"Can I be the baby's godfather?"

Naruto just stared at Jomei for several seconds and then threw his arms around the boy's shoulders. "Oh, Jomei…" He buried his head in Jomei's neck, crying copiously. The boy patted his back awkwardly, muttering about being glad, or sorry, or something.

Sasuke watched this from the door with Tsunade. He turned to her.

"So, do I get to call you 'grandma' now, too?" He smirked. Then he noticed that she wouldn't look at him and her eyes were watering. A second glance and he realized she was doing all she could to keep from laughing.

He raised a single brow in silent question. ' _What_?'

She raised one in return. _'Do you really want to know?'_

He pursed his lips. _'Of course.'_

She sniffed a couple of times and then leaned forward in invitation.

He activated the Sharingan and looked into her eyes. He covered his own snort of laughter with a cough. Twins? One of each?

"Yeah, you can call me grandma. Looks like I'm going to be hearing it a lot." She shook her head and stepped over the threshold. "Jomei, let's go."

As Sasuke was closing the door behind them he heard Jomei, "I made the Hokage cry."

Tsunade patted his back. 'That's okay. He made me cry at least once a week."

Naruto fell onto his back on the carpet, his arms splayed. "Diapers? I don't know how to change diapers. I don't know anything about babies."

"We'll figure it out, Dobe." He dropped to his knees onto the floor by Naruto. Neji was already on the floor with Naruto, holding the blond head in his lap. As he crawled across the carpet, Choriko slipped out of the room, giggling as she went.

He stopped over the top of the blond, his hands on either side of his head and looked into that beloved whiskered face.

"Sasuke?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm going to have a family." Sasuke could see the tears starting to well once again in blue eyes. "A family of my very own."

"Yes, you are." He rubbed his nose across Naruto's and pulled back.

"Sasuke?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm so…happy."


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time skip #2

_Six years later..._

As Neji returned from his last trip to the kitchen, he stopped next to Jomei and Gaara who were standing by the house in identical poses watching the mayhem in the yard.

"You do not wish to play?"

Jomei shook his head firmly. "I'm a godfather. That's like a father. I should keep an eye out," the teenager answered. Gaara nodded from Jomei's other side.

Neji nodded and hid a smile. Jomei had always fretted and panicked over the labels put on him. And Gaara? Gaara was…a special case of his own.

"There are many kinds of father," Neji said.

"How do you decide what kind to be?"

"The kind of father you are depends on the kind of person you are." He paused. "Me, I am content to stand back and observe. I take joy in watching their joy.

"That father," he pointed to Sasuke who was lying on a blanket with a magazine over his face, sleeping, "is the kind who works nights and wishes the volume in his house was less than one hundred decibels.

"And there is that kind." He pointed to Naruto who was at least eighty of those hundred decibels. "The kind who romps around the yard on all fours barking like a dog."

"He is silly, isn't he?" Jomei snickered.

"Our fathers, all of us, are the kind who would be here with us if the gods hadn't needed them at their sides." Neji turned to face Jomei. "The only kind of father you don't want to be is the kind who could be with his children, but is not."

Neji bowed his head slightly, more to keep from reacting to the look on Gaara's face than anything else. The redheaded Kazekage was openly listening, rapt, his eyes wide and his mouth drooping open slightly.

"Would you agree Kazekage-sama?"

Gaara straightened and coughed. "Well said." Then he returned to mimic Jomei's pose.

Neji felt such a fondness for the poor, insecure, slightly demented ex-Jinchuuriki as he watched his complete inability to act like a normal person…especially now that he was officially family.

Gaara had come to visit shortly after Sasuke's second son had been born. He truly seemed, in his subdued way, to delight in the fact that Naruto had gotten all the children to call him 'uncle.' But then he heard someone mention that Jomei was the godfather.

"What is the godfather?"

"If someone happens to all three of us, the godparents care for the children."

"I will be this godfather."

"But I'm the godfather," young Jomei responded. Gaara studied Jomei speculatively.

"The children have three fathers now. We can be two fathers."

Jomei appeared to think for a moment and then nodded.

Later that evening after everyone had left and the three were in the kitchen cleaning up, Sasuke finally said,

"You can't be serious. Gaara, a godfather to our children?"

"C'mon guys, you see what it would mean to him."

"I know what it would mean to us," Sasuke grumbled. "More fucking paperwork."

The three already had a room of their own at the tower dedicated to all the legal issues in their lives. The deed and service contracts for the orphanage, trusts for each of the mothers of their children, and trusts for the Twinkle Sisters' family all required stacks of papers requiring the services of a solicitor. There were documents addressing the legal rights of the mothers, Tsunade's status as godmother and Jomei's status as godfather. More scrolls protecting their own rights to the children should something happen to one and someone challenge the custody of the remaining men filled another cabinet. Then there were legal name changes since Sasuke had insisted that every child be an Uzumaki, property rights for buildings set aside for the Twinkle sisters' family and Hinata, who had moved to the estate. Round the mess out with wills and investments and the room was threatening to explode.

"Do you want to tell him 'no?'"

"But Gaara? He's crazy." They had been obliged, at one point, to make a fake document stating that Gaara was an uncle.

"Listen, it's just a gesture," Naruto defended. "For him to get custody, something would have to happen to all three of us. If there's something that bad going on, no one on earth could protect our children better than he could. He'd wrap them up in one of his sand balls and they'd be snug as bugs in rugs."

They paused, each disturbed in his own right imagining their babies packed in a sand ball.

"Yeah, he'd save them. But then he'd probably just eat them," Sasuke whined.

Neji and Naruto laughed and threw dishtowels at him.

So they had made Gaara godfather and ever since, he'd been telling everyone who would listen, and forcing many who wouldn't, about the trials of being both an uncle and godfather.

As if on cue, Hinata wandered by and Gaara stopped her, asking if she had ever considered the difficulties of trying to balance the role of godfather with that of the role of uncle.

Dear, sweet Hinata, who had had this discussion with the Kazekage no less than five times already, bowed, said 'yes,' that she had been wondering about that very thing, and asked if he would tell her about it.

When one listened to his discussion about the trauma of trying to divine not one, but two meaningful gifts, one for each title, and the absolute agony of deciding how to sign correspondence, it was clear that he was deadly serious about this. The first time Hinata heard this, she thought he was going to hyperventilate when he whispered that he didn't know what he was going to do when they realized he was the Kazekage, or gods forbid, their _friend_. The potential for a third or possibly a fourth title might just push him over an edge.

Indeed, Naruto had tucked away in a box the sole card sent by Gaara for the first birthday he'd experienced as both uncle and godfather.

Tamari had shown up at the door with five teams of Sand ninja. When they opened the door, she pushed her way inside, plopped into a kitchen chair and said, "Drink!"

Neji gave her a glass of rice wine. After downing it, she slapped a ragged, busy looking piece of paper on the table.

"This is the last card you're getting from Gaara. I hope you can live with that because I am never going through this again."

Naruto picked up the card and his eyes widened more and more as he turned it this way and that. Every inch of the card was covered in increasingly distressed scribbles; 'Uncle Gaara,' 'Godfather Gaara,' 'Kazekage Uncle,' 'Friend Kazekage,' 'Your Godfather, the Uncle.'

"He was in a fetal position, stabbing the card with a pen when I found him." She pointed to several small holes in the paper.

"I convinced him that sending cards and gifts was a security risk. It marked the children as important to him and set them up as targets for Sand's enemies." She leaned back and rubbed her face. "Gaara was so happy I thought he was going to cry.

"Then he seemed sad, so I told him I'd deliver this one card; that no one would ever know if we were discreet." She waved toward the door. "He sent twenty of our best ninja to make sure it got here safely."

Today, there had been no plans for a get together, but Gaara had shown up early. His schedule was not usually his own and he often came on the spur of the moment when he saw he had enough free time to make the trip.

And Naruto had been so glad to see him. When Gaara had arrived earlier, Naruto had swooped in and pulled him into a hug and spun him in circles. Neji had hidden a laugh when Naruto had put Gaara down and the Kazekage had just stood right there, his chest touching Naruto's, no concept of recreating his own personal bubble. Either that or he was hoping Naruto would pick him up again.

The pair had walked out into the garden and Neji had watched in bemusement as Gaara's lips actually moved in what must have been conversation. In fact, it looked like a dozen words emerged from his mouth at a time; more than he'd shared with anyone else in their acquaintance in all the years he'd known Gaara.

The conversation had appeared melancholy for a time and then Naruto burst into howling laughter. He laughed hard enough to be drooped over Gaara's shoulder and tears were running down his cheeks.

Neji wondered if Naruto could have similar encounters with fence posts, but upon closer inspection, requiring Byakugan, he saw the tiniest shade of mirth on Gaara's face. The slight redhead must have made a joke. It was almost beyond comprehension.

Neji smiled. Only Naruto…

Neji tapped his chin, trying to decide how to feed this impromptu gathering. He wanted to make something special because Gaara was a special visitor. Not because he was Kazekage, but because he was always there when Naruto and their family needed him.

That was why Neji was truly fond of Gaara. He had been right there with them, dropping everything and mobilizing all of Suna the two times they'd had to deal with those who would take the demon.

The first time was after the twins were born about six years ago. Before Neji and Sasuke had even known there was a problem, Gaara was already in Naruto's office.

Sasuke had shot up from bed one afternoon, frantically throwing on clothes and within minutes was also in Naruto's office.

Naruto was clutching the desk with one hand and his seal with the other.

"They're about a half mile from the gate. Your team…"

"Fuck my team." And Sasuke was gone.

By the time Naruto, Gaara and Sasuke's team reached the site, there was absolute carnage everywhere. Sasuke, covered in blood, was screaming in fury and sending body parts in every direction.

Naruto watched as Sasuke used nothing but two swords and his rage to completely decimate the twenty ninja and their odd piece of equipment. Nothing but steel, muscle and a fury that could be felt for miles.

It took longer than maybe it should have, but Sasuke seemed to be making a deliberate effort to inflict pain before delivering killing blows. Finally there were no more enemies standing but Sasuke was still shaking in his anger.

He marched up to Naruto and grabbed the front of his shirt. He yelled, his voice hoarse, "No one…is going to…take you…away from me!"

Then he roared again and turned back to the limb littered ground and sent balls of flame from his mouth and hands, incinerating the remains. He turned back and grabbed Naruto's shirt again.

"Do you fucking hear me?"

Naruto placed a hand gently over the one at his throat. "I do," he whispered.

Everyone on that stretch of path through the forest watched warily. They all knew of the relationship between Sasuke and their Hokage and they had a sense of how protective Sasuke was, but they had never been subjected to such an intense wash of emotion-laced chakra from either of them.

They all held their breaths as Sasuke put his face an inch from Naruto's, his body vibrating with agitation. The hair stood up on their arms and they wondered if they were going to see Sasuke hit Naruto, or throw him on the ground and rip his clothes off.

Just when they thought they were going to find out, the two disappeared out of the clearing.

The second time an attempt was made on Naruto a year later, Gaara had been right there with them again. Having had his demon ripped from his own body, he had recognized the feel of it at the same time Naruto had. He had again shown up at the Hokage tower and, not finding them there, had proceeded to Naruto's house.

"How can I help?"

"Do you know where they are?" All four men were in the living room and Sasuke was shaking with this need to destroy.

"No. I have deployed teams, but it will take some time before we begin receiving reports."

"I think I could find them, but if I reach out and connect, there's a chance they'll get the demon." Naruto sighed.

"What?" Sasuke stood. "You could find them? How?"

"Sage chakra and the connection…" He didn't get to finish.

"Why the fuck didn't I think of that?" Sasuke threw his arms up. "I can do it."

They moved to the tower and Sasuke got to work.

It turned out to be fairly easy. The pull on the demon was directional and once Sasuke found one end of the thread, he was able to follow it to the source. The group, which included Neji because he had refused to be left out ever again and had put plans in place for the children, watched as Sasuke felt his way along the path he'd found.

The look on Sasuke's face was fierce satisfaction as he whispered, "I've got 'em." He raised a brow in question, the hum of his chakra raising the hair on all their arms.

Naruto's smile was just as fierce as he nodded. The walls in the room seemed to bow under the force of Sasuke's gathering power, and then he slammed his palm to the floor and growled. His body shimmered in green light that hovered and then disappeared beneath his palm.

"I need a team," Naruto turned to Neji, his Anbu captain, to deploy a team, but stopped when he saw the impassioned look on Neji's face as he looked at Sasuke.

For Neji, no one else had been in the room but Sasuke at that moment. Finally Sasuke had felt Neji's attention and turned to him. After their gazes met, Neji walked up to Sasuke.

"You saved our family…" And then they were gone.

Yes, Gaara was a valued member of this family. Always there during the bad times.

Suddenly, the ground seemed to move under Neji's feet. '…Gaara…always there...' '…bad times...'

He looked around the yard and his perspective shifted. Naruto was in the yard laughing and playing with the children. But his laugh was too loud. And he was playing with the ferocity of someone playing for the last time.

And Gaara was standing nearby holding Naruto's newest baby, something he was usually reluctant to do. And he wasn't looking at the baby as if it was a live snake. His look was different. Something about his expression was…sad.

Then he felt it. Something brushed his senses. At that precise moment, Sasuke sat up, alert, and Neji could feel his chakra flaring out, scanning.

"Something's wrong," Jomei whispered.

Sasuke stood. "Naruto, a word." He turned toward the house and looked pointedly at Gaara. "You. In the house."

Naruto sighed in resignation and called Jomei over. "Take over, will you? Watch Suki's knee; she skinned it pretty badly earlier."

Jomei bowed solemnly and then threw his arms around Naruto's shoulders.

"It'll be fine. Have fun, okay?" Jomei dropped his head for a moment, then entered the fray, his smile strained.


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are always welcome.

Naruto had wondered how long it would take before Sasuke and Neji realized the purpose of Gaara's visit. He had taken Gaara out into the garden in hopes of keeping their conversation private.

" _The toad has been unable to find a thread as Sasuke did four years ago."_

" _Damn. If Fukasaku can't find it...," he sighed. "And nothing from Kankuro or the other teams?"_

" _No. Yours?"_

" _No."_

" _You're managing the seal for now?"_

" _Yeah, but it's exhausting." They sat in silence for a few minutes._

" _Do you ever think about just letting them have the demon and then dealing with it after?"_

" _You mean, assuming I live through the extraction?" Gaara nodded. "Actually, I have," Naruto flushed. "We have two sages here and I know the toads would help. I keep thinking that maybe...," his voice faded. "What do you think?" He glanced at Gaara. "What choice would you make?"_

" _I regret that my death did not kill the demon." He laced his fingers in his lap. "I consider it my greatest failing. I would not let anyone have the demon if my life or death could prevent it."_

_Naruto nodded. Then he sighed._

" _What's death like?"_

_Gaara looked thoughtful. "I found it lonely and quiet." He blinked. "I had a sense of…waiting."_

" _Waiting?"_

" _In reflection, I believe I was waiting for loved ones. Everyone with whom I have a bond is still among the living."_

_He looked up at Naruto. "I do not believe you will be lonely. Or alone. And you will be joined with this family again."_

_Naruto's chin quivered. "I hope so."_

" _I was angry with you for a time."_

_Naruto looked surprised. "Really?"_

" _Yes," he nodded. "Fatherless children."_

" _I struggled with that myself. But then I decided that they wouldn't be fatherless. They'll still have two fathers."_

" _I finally came to that same conclusion."_

_Naruto laughed. "And you have no idea what Sasuke's like when he wants something."_

_Gaara tilted his head. "He is…ferocious in every aspect of his life."_

" _Yeah." Naruto's smile was sappy._

" _I wonder about a relationship such as that, having that much intensity directed at me."_

_Naruto's eyes lit up. "Definitely. You should do it. It's…amazing."_

" _Agreed. When I return to Suna, I shall begin making plans to acquire him."_

" _Him?"_

" _Yes. Sasuke. Do you think he'll mind?"_

_Naruto stared a moment and then burst into howling laughter. He fell against Gaara's shoulder. "Man, I love you!"_

_And only Naruto, and Byakugan, could see the twinkle in Gaara's eyes._

When Naruto walked into the kitchen, Neji, Sasuke and Gaara were already there.

"How long?"

Naruto was unsure how to answer. Was Sasuke asking when this had started? Surely he wasn't asking how long Naruto thought he had left.

Sasuke seemed to realize the same thing and his rage could be felt as a rise in temperature in the kitchen.

"How long has this been going on?" He yelled and slammed his fist on the table.

"About a week," Naruto sighed.

"Why are you here?" Sasuke pointed at Gaara.

"I sensed it as well. Suna is ready to help. And Naruto always has questions." Naruto's eyes widened in alarm.

"Questions?" Sasuke growled.

"Yes, such as…" Naruto grabbed Gaara's arm.

"Hey, Gaara, I hear Tamari calling you."

Gaara looked surprised. "From Suna?"

"Yeah, and she sounds really pissed. You better get going."

"Oh. Okay. Well, I'll come back and bring word when my teams report."

The kitchen was silent for several moments after Gaara was gone. Then Sasuke slammed his fist on the table top again.

"A week? When the hell were you going to tell me?"

"When I have something to tell," Naruto answered quietly, staring at the tabletop.

"Bullshit! Just tell me and I'll fix it."

"Sasuke," Naruto looked up, "I don't know how to fix it."

Sasuke's teeth ground for several moments, then he bit out, "Who the hell is it? Akatsuki?"

"We don't know who it is, except that it isn't Akatsuki. Our spy in Akatsuki says they have their own teams out trying to find these guys."

Sasuke stared in silence again. His rising ire was generating popping sparks of electricity on the metal items in the room.

"Did you think that group from five years ago was kind of odd?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke didn't answer. He didn't actually remember that first group; he'd been so completely lost in his fury that when he thought back, all he could see was a red haze.

"They looked like they didn't have the resources of the average homeless person, but they had the equipment to extract the demon."

"Do you have a point to make?" Sasuke snapped.

Naruto leaned around and grabbed his pack from against the wall. After fishing around for a second, he tossed a pamphlet onto the table.

"Ever seen one of those?"

Sasuke snatched it up roughly and read, 'How to Extract a Demon.'

His eyes closed and he swayed for a moment.

"Evidently, they're floating around all the villages."

Sasuke flipped through it. It contained the procedure Akatsuki had been using to extract and store the other demons in the statue.

"Probably written by that nut job Hidan," Naruto supplied calmly.

"Doesn't matter. We stopped them the last two times, we'll continue to stop them."

"Look at the last page; that handwritten note."

" _Uchiha: distance is key_." Sasuke clenched the document in his fist. "So? They tried that last time and we still stopped them."

Naruto nodded evenly and picked absently at a hangnail. "Yeah, I figure that was added after they failed at that attempt outside the gates. They realized they'd never get passed Uchiha Sasuke, so someone reinvented the process and tried to take it from the border of Sky."

"That's right. And I found them and blew their fucking brains out." Sasuke was tapping his foot in agitation.

"You're either missing the point, or ignoring it."

"And that point it?"

"They're learning from their failures. Want to bet there are other booklets out there with more handwritten notes? Like…the ability to cloak our location is key?"

In his rage, Sasuke's hand flamed and the book in his hand turned to ashes that floated to the floor like feathery black snowflakes.

Sasuke just glared and Naruto continued, "All three of us could figure a way to pull this off. What makes you think someone else can't?"

"We're brilliant." Naruto understood that it wasn't ego, but a discussion on statistics.

"That's not true. You and Neji are. I'm not."

Sasuke looked ready to argue.

"No. You two are brilliant. I have training. You two could figure this out starting from nothing. I can only do it because of the training I've had."

"No difference."

"Huge difference. With training anyone can understand anything."

"So!"

"Look, if I only had to worry about the geniuses of the world, I would hardly worry. And it would have to be geniuses who want a demon. Seriously, there can't be that many."

He reached into bag and tossed another identical booklet onto the table and pointed at it.

"Training. Now everyone out there can do this. Bad guys. Good guys. People pissed that their neighbor built a fence a foot into their property and want to make a point by having a demon destroy the thing." Naruto tapped the booklet with his finger. "I wonder how many fourteen year old boys are hiding in their sheds trying to build this, just to see if they can."

Sasuke's anger continued to rise until even the children in the yard fell into silence, sensing an impending eruption. Neji stood stiff, waiting, ready to do…something, hoping his instincts and insights would guide him if needed.

"You can stop this fucking shit right now!" Sasuke's voice had risen with each word until he yelled, "Do you hear me?"

"What shit?" Naruto asked, not looking at Sasuke.

"This…this…" he slapped the tabletop again. He couldn't say the actual words that brought his darkest fears into the light of day. "This fucking thing you do."

Naruto understood Sasuke. He knew their relationship was the personification of the adage, "…change the things you can, accept the things you can't." The battle was deciding what actually went on each list. For Naruto, however, it never left his mind that the very existence of humanity hung in the balance. So he pressed his point.

"Bastard, one day, some twelve-year old is going to flip a switch and find a nine-tails standing on his chest eating his parents." Naruto reached and pulled out another booklet. "What do I do?" He pulled out another still. "What would you do?"

"Geniuses." Sasuke snapped. "You have two of them. That changes the odds back into your favor."

Naruto didn't like this. When this ended, Sasuke would accept full responsibility.

"If this falls apart, it won't be your fault."

"I am your protector. I am in charge of your safety, your life."

Naruto studied him for a moment. "You're fired. You're not responsible for it any longer. You can keep working on it if it pleases you, but it's no longer your responsibility."

"This is no time for joking."

"I'm not joking," Naruto said with conviction. "You're fired."

"Go fuck yourself." Then Sasuke turned on his heel and left the room.

+++

Naruto was sprawled on the couch. Neji's son was asleep in his lap, the book Naruto had been reading to him under his cheek. Naruto's new baby was in his arms, wide awake and staring at this father with an intelligent gaze.

Neji came up behind the couch and wrapped his arms around Naruto's shoulders.

"He's so alert, so attentive for his age. One feels as though he is already working things out."

Naruto nodded. "He looks more like the pictures of my father than the twins. Tsunade's said the same thing."

"Perhaps we should consider his mother for another child."

Naruto was silent for several moments.

"There won't be any more children. Not for me, anyway."

Neji came around the couch and picked up his son. "Let me get him to bed. Stay here, I'll be right back."

A few minutes later, Neji curled up on the couch next to Naruto and fingered the golden curls on the baby's scalp.

"It is time for you to pay up."

Naruto raised a brow.

"Years ago, I told you there was a price." Naruto's jaw clenched. "You give me your concerns and plans, strategies and setbacks."

"It's fine, Neji. I don't…"

"Don't deceive yourself into thinking you have a choice. I will not allow it."

"Neji," Naruto sighed and dropped his head onto the back of the couch. "There's no need for anyone else to have to deal with the daily ups and downs of this."

"There is a need. I have a need. You have a need." Neji smoothed Naruto's hair back. "I would be fulfilled if you would lean on me, even if just a little."

Naruto's jaw worked and he looked back at his son, who was completely still as if waiting for his father's decision.

"I already lean on you more than I've ever leaned on anyone before. I'm afraid," he whispered, "that if I lean any more, I won't be able to get back up."

"Then I'll help you stand up again."

"We also agreed not to get any closer," Naruto added quietly.

"It's too late for that as well," Neji said. "Isn't it?"

Naruto said nothing, but it was true. He loved Neji so, so much and had almost from the beginning.

Neji took such care of everyone. He was the heart and soul of this family, and the true strength. He was so selfless, so considerate of Naruto and loved each and every child in the house, blond and brunette, as if they were his own blood. They all appreciated what they had, this family of orphans, but Neji truly lived for it.

And Naruto didn't want to hurt him any more than what was already coming.

He caressed a tiny chin.

"I should never have agreed to have him. But it had been three years and I guess I just..." He sighed. "And Sasuke just kept pushing… Hell, I wish I could tell him no sometimes."

"Do you?" Neji rubbed the bottom of a soft little foot. "Look at him. He is the most beautiful child I've ever seen. And feel the intelligence and power in him already. Your legacy will be strong and proud."

"I know. But we each had two; it seemed like a good place to stop." Naruto smirked. "That argument about two _pregnancies_ each was just…lame."

"But you understand him, right? He'd push you to have thirty children. The more you have, the less likely you are to ever leave us."

Naruto rubbed his face in agitation.

"Doesn't he know I wouldn't leave if I could help it even if there were no children? What does he think I am?"

"Somewhere inside him he does understand that he is being irrational. But I have come to understand how fragile he really is. And he loves you so much; more than he's ever loved anything or anyone."

"God damn it. I don't want to hurt him." Naruto looked at Neji. "Or you. Or these children." He looked back at his son and whispered, "What was I thinking?"

"Perhaps you were thinking about having a life." Neji straightened. "Anyway, don't give up. It isn't over."

Naruto nodded his head slowly, looking into his son's face. Then he took a deep breath and let it out.

"Okay, you're right. One day at a time for now. Maybe we'll figure something out this time, too."

Neji nodded. "Tell me."

"Nothing much to tell; we don't really know anything. It's the same basic pull that Akatsuki used on the other eight vessels and that was used the other two times. Same technology.

"But we can't find them. Not using teams in the field, or our own technology or chakra theory."

"You can't find a direction of the pull? At all?" Neji sounded surprised.

"That's the weirdest part. The toads have been trying. There just isn't a direction."

"How can there be a pull with no direction?"

"Got me. It's like…there is a direction and then like a shifting wind, it's gone, or…moves."

"How are you feeling?"

"Okay. Tired. The pull is constant."

"You look tired," Neji agreed.

"I'm okay for now." Naruto sighed, then he looked sideways at Neji. "I can't do this forever, though."

Neji felt his stomach lurch, but just nodded calmly, thinking this would serve Naruto best. "I wonder, what about the cuffs? Or the chakra chamber at the hospital? Has the seal actually been compromised?"

"The cuffs interfere with my own chakra too much. As they are, they would make things worse, although Shika has been looking into ways to tune in to the demon's signature alone. Of course, he's been working on that for over a year now.

"As for the hospital chakra chamber, that is a good idea. I pop down there for a rest every once in a while. It works for a while; but it's designed to block chakra. They aren't pulling with chakra. It's more like…a magnet, or a vacuum. The chamber slows it down, but doesn't stop it."

Then Naruto smirked.

"The seal seems to be completely intact. You know Sasuke; change the furnace filters, replace the smoke detector batteries, reinforce the seal."

Neji smiled.

Suddenly Naruto smiled and took Neji's hand.

"Thank you. It is nice to be able to talk to you about this."

Neji rested his head on Naruto's shoulder.

"I really hate bringing the job home," Naruto continued. "But this affects all of us so I can't seem to just leave it. I've been walking around here feeling like…an outsider; the only member of my own little club."

"You shouldn't have to leave it," Neji said. "We are your family. We are here to support you."

"We won't share this with Sasuke, though, right?" Naruto whispered.

After several moments, Neji sighed. "I know having him at your side is your dearest wish."

"My dearest wish is not to hurt him."

"You could try talking to him. He's scared, but he does love you."

+++

Naruto opened the shower door and stepped into the spray.

Sasuke said nothing, just narrowed his eyes and went back to scrubbing his scalp furiously.

"So, are you pissed at me specifically? Or at the universe in general?"

"Are you here to tell me how to fix this?"

Naruto sighed. "I told you, I don't know how to fix it."

"Then what are you doing here?" Sasuke snapped.

"Here in the shower or here at home?"

"Take your fucking pick."

Naruto's chin quivered a moment. Then he nodded and slipped out of the stall and out of the bathroom.

He didn't see Sasuke drop to his knees with a sob and then retch repeatedly over the shower drain.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hellloooo...is there anyone out there? Hate it? Love it? Grammar? Spelling? I accidently slipped into Tagalog?

The days turned into the same routine. Whenever Naruto and Sasuke would cross paths in the house, which was happening with less and less frequency, Sasuke would glare at Naruto.

"Are you going to tell me now?"

"Sasuke… I don't know how."

Sasuke's eyes would narrow and he'd turn on his heel and stalk away.

+++

Neji finally got the baby and Suki, his own baby girl, tucked into their beds and with a resigned sigh, went in search of Sasuke.

He found the other brunette in the twins' room, standing in the dark looking down at the sleeping six year olds, their golden heads gleaming in a ray of moonshine.

He came and stood next to Sasuke and tucked the blanket more securely around their shoulders.

The twins each had their own beds but were sleeping together wrapped in each other's arms. Their slack, little faces were blotchy and tears had dried on their cheeks in crusty streaks. They were the oldest, and the most sensitive to the fear and tension in their house.

"I never thought I would be enough," Sasuke murmured. "I'm not worthy and don't deserve this life. But they should be enough. Why aren't they enough?"

"You dishonor Naruto," Neji said quietly. "It is a slap in his face for you to think that he would willingly abandon his children. Or you. Or life in general. He has struggled to survive against overwhelming odds since the day he was born. That has not changed.

"I understand you are afraid, but we all are," Neji continued when Sasuke said nothing. "Including him."

When Sasuke continued to stand in silence, Neji finally sighed in resignation and left the room.

+++

"Naruto, please," Neji said, wrapping his arms around Naruto's waist.

Naruto had a bag packed and was heading back to the tower.

"I have to get back to work. We're not getting anywhere and we're…running out of time."

Neji felt lightheaded for a moment, but found that part of his brain where he was spending more and more time; the part that was detached from everything and allowed him to remain the only functioning parent in the house.

"That's not why you're leaving, though. You're running from him."

"What's to run from?" Naruto threw his arms up, sounding hysterical. "He won't even stay in the same room with me."

Naruto pulled himself free.

"Anyway, I'll be back. I just need to keep working. We have teams working around the clock now and I need to be there. I can't sit around here while others are trying to save my life."

"Are you resting at all?"

"I'm fine."

"Naruto." Neji wrapped his arms around him again. "Please don't shut me out. Lean on me."

Naruto's jaw worked. "I told you, if I lean, I'll fall. And I don't know if I'll be able to get back up."

Then he left.

+++

Sasuke woke and looked at the window to estimate the time.

It came to him that his house was completely still, no noise or commotion inside or out. A quick scan confirmed that he was the only person in the house. Again.

He threw his arm over his eyes and a wash of unease swept through him as memories of other times alone in this house skittered through his mind; when he was a child, when Naruto had been in the hospital seven years ago. Every day for the last week. He absolutely hated it.

After relieving himself he shuffled to the kitchen and went to the counter. The note was there.

_Sasuke, the children are at Hinata's and I am at the tower. Don't know when I'll be home. Get the children. There is dinner ready to be heated. I love you. Naruto loves you._

His jaw clenched as he crumpled the note in his fist. He was alone again. He had one of the largest families in Konoha and yet he was alone.

He'd never liked being alone. He probably wouldn't have survived the years in Sound without Toshio. He'd never learned how to turn off his brain, or distract himself from his own thoughts. Whenever he had too much time by himself, his thoughts and memories would swirl, invariably in a dark direction until anxiety and fear and doubt would cause him to seek distraction in human company or physical exertion.

He could go get the children and try to hoist himself out of his own personal morass by taking care of their needs, but the more he woke to an empty house, the harder he found stepping up to his responsibilities.

This thing with Naruto sapped everything out of him. He had no joy, no life, no ambition, and no energy. He wanted to crawl into bed, pull the covers over his head and sleep forever.

It was irrational. The only thing that meant anything at all to him in this world was having his family near him. What he felt for his family could not be expressed with mere words. But he was now alone here because he'd shoved everyone away.

Why did he do this? Why did he avoid Naruto? Why did he leave rooms when Naruto entered? Why did he make Neji choose between the two of them? Why did he upset the children?

Did he think he could bully his way into a resolution, making everyone miserable enough until they found a solution just to shut him up? Did he think distance would make this situation less frightening, less painful?

He should be helping with this. But the bits he'd unfortunately overheard were all about frustration and a growing sense of hopelessness. Konoha, Sand, Rock, Mist and the Toads had their best on this and they were no closer to an answer than when the situation first started.

All he knew for sure was that he hated his Uchiha-ness, his weakness, when, each time he looked at Naruto these last days, each time, the blond would say, "I don't know how to fix it," he could almost feel his mind splintering into shards of agony and…insanity.

His anger, his _self-preservation_ , would surface and he would hurt everyone around him, again.

+++

"Come in," Shikamaru whispered. "But be quiet."

Neji stepped around the councilor into Naruto's office and followed Shikamaru over to a corner where a number of people sat in a small huddle on the floor. Naruto sat alone at the conference table, his head resting on the back of the chair. He was asleep.

"We're trying not to wake him, but we didn't want to leave. He'd be upset if he woke to an empty room."

Neji's heart broke at the dark circles under Naruto's eyes and the awkward angle of his neck as his head lolled to the side.

He walked over and gently pushed his fingers through the dull blond strands.

"Naruto," he whispered. Then before desolation and despair could gain a foothold, he shifted his mind into that isolated little box that he was finding with more and more ease.

"Sorry I'm late," he said to the group after he joined them in the corner.

Trying to juggle the entire household himself was becoming a magic act. Between the children's schedules, keeping the house organized and food ready for whoever he'd managed to wrangle into feeding them, keeping the children in Naruto's life by shuttling them back and forth between the tower and home and his service on the team trying to solve the demon problem, Neji was hanging on by his fingernails.

At this point, Sasuke was getting the short end of the stick. He hardly ever saw Naruto or Neji and only saw the children when he opted to go pick them up from wherever they were. It alarmed Neji how often Sasuke chose not to.

Neji was worried about Sasuke. He was probably the neediest person in the family right now emotionally, but to break through the wall he'd erected to find the part that would acknowledge the situation and accept support would take more time and energy than Neji had at the moment.

"It's fine, Neji. We assume if you had anything to report, we'd already know."

Neji's jaw clenched and his head dropped.

"Neji-san, that wasn't a dig," Lee said, patting his arm.

"I know. I just hate having to be on this team. Certainly it is possible that we can find a way to eliminate the demon without harming Naruto, but so far we don't even have a direction, even with all Nara's research." He looked across the room, where Naruto's head was now resting on his arms on the table. "And we're running out of time."

The group was silent for several seconds, knowing there was nothing that could be said in response.

"I wish he'd spend more time at home," Tsunade finally said. "He should be with his children and you."

"Home is…" Neji started, and then stopped.

"I can imagine that Uchiha-san is not dealing well," Lee said.

"I can't even describe how terrified he is," Neji whispered.

"Then he needs to get his ass down here and help," Fukasuku's clone said. "Hyuuga is dealing…"

"Enough," Neji cut in. "I will deal with my family. This group will deal with the threat to Konoha and the Hokage."

+++

Two days later when Neji arrived, the group was sitting around the table. Naruto was slumped, his chin on his palm, his gaze bleary.

Neji was late again today because he'd had to wait for Hinata to return from her mission debrief before he could turn the children over to her. He'd attempted to talk to Sasuke, but the seething look stopped him.

"Hyuuga-san, we are just wrapping up. If you'll give us your report, we are going to call it an afternoon."

"Team Eight returned from investigating the lead the toad gave us." Neji sighed. "The hermit who served with Orochimaru, the one who might have had some insight into the seal died six years ago."

At the devastated looks around the table, he whispered, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Neji," Naruto said. "There's probably still someone out there who knows something. You can't stuff nine demons into nine people without a fair number of people knowing something.

"No matter what happens," he continued, "this research needs to continue." If the demons get loose again, there has to be a way to fix it, or humanity is done."

He shook his head. "These guys are a bunch of moronic dumb asses. What do they think? They're going to put leashes on them and teach them to sit and roll over?" He rubbed his eyes. "Fucking idiots. They'll be the first to die."

He pushed to his feet. "Anyway, again, thank you all for your dedication and hard work.” Everyone sat silent, each wanting to deny this but unwilling to argue with their leader. "So tomorrow, same time?"

Everyone but Neji shuffled out of the room.

"How is everyone?" Naruto asked when they were alone.

"The children are well," Neji answered.

"I'm going to try to be home for dinner tonight. I'll try to get home in time to help fix, but I'm expecting a team from Mist to arrive this afternoon. If they get here on time, I'll be home early." He sighed tiredly. "I need to pick up some changes of clothes anyway."

"Naruto…" Neji started.

"Tell me about the kids' week," Naruto interrupted, knowing where Neji was going, but not wanting to pick at the open sore that was Sasuke.

Neji sighed, but took Naruto's hand and pulled him to a couch by a sunny window.

"Here, sit in the sun and I'll tell you what you've missed."

After Naruto was comfortable, sitting in a warm ray of sunshine, Neji stood by the window and started talking about the minutiae of the kids' days.

Neji had only been talking for a few minutes, when he noticed that Naruto had fallen asleep.

He studied his lover, his love and stroked his hair back. Had he really thought he would find himself in this situation even after he and Naruto had talked all those years ago? Had he truly believed he'd find himself the glue holding this family together?

No, he hadn't. He realized that he'd been just as guilty as Sasuke of dwelling in denial. It didn't matter though; the plight was before them and he'd accepted the job Naruto had given him. He would persevere.

What he had was a miracle. He was a mediocre ninja from the lower branch of the Hyuuga clan. He preferred the companionship of men. By all rights he shouldn't have the home and family he had, including the love of two such remarkable men; men of honor, men of strength, heroes.

And children. He was the father to the strongest children in the land, including a genetic lineage of his own; a brilliant boy and the most beautiful girl in Konoha. They all called him Daddy and his heart swelled each and every time he heard it.

The three of them had had horrendous childhoods. He now had the opportunity to right those wrongs, making sure that Hyuuga, Uchiha and Uzumaki babies were well loved, well fed and had the carefree, happy youths that the three of them had missed. It was fulfilling to an extreme.

He was watching Naruto twitch in his sleep, sending thanks to gods he wasn't sure he believed in, when suddenly the blue eyes flew open and Naruto cried out.

One second later the couch burst into flames.

"Naruto!"

Naruto leaped up and shoved Neji aside just as the door burst open and a dozen people rushed in, including a half dozen hunters, their swords drawn.

"Stay back!" Naruto yelled. "Hold your breath and cover your mouth and nose." Then he did a couple of quick hand signs. Neji clutched his chest as his lungs emptied.

All the air in the room was sucked into a compressed ball in Naruto's hand and within moments, the fire sputtered and died as it found itself starved for fuel.

After soaking the piece of furniture with moisture separated from the ball in his hand, Naruto released his jutsu and the room once again filled with, albeit dryer, air.

The room fell into silence broken only by the popping and hissing of vaporizing droplets on the couch cushions.

"What happened?" Neji asked coming to stand by Naruto.

Naruto looked at Neji, his expression one of stunned disbelief. Then his eyes closed and his jaw clenched.

He said nothing for several moments, then he cleared his throat and straightened.

"Leave us."

No one moved.

"It's fine, just give me a minute. Wait outside, okay?"

Finally Lee grabbed two hunters by their collars and dragged them out the door.

"Naruto?" Neji asked when they were alone.

"It's the demon," Naruto said looking at his feet.

"I don't understand."

"I told you," Naruto looked up at Neji. "I couldn't do this forever."

Neji stared, his heart hammering in his chest.

"Neji, unless we find this source, I only have as long as I can stay awake. If I fall asleep, they'll pull the demon from me."

Neji's breath stuttered in his chest. Then his inner-Sasuke reared its head.

"No," he said with force. "Unacceptable."

"Neji…"

"That is a rash conclusion. We have spent no time at all considering our options."

"Neji, I'm getting too tired. If I fall into a deep enough sleep, they'll get the demon."

"Yes, that is the problem." Neji paced with uncharacteristic agitation. "Now we must explore solutions."

"Okay," Naruto nodded after a moment. Neji was not Sasuke. There was a part of Neji reacting in a panic, but under all that, a level head was flipping the situation this way and that, considering all possible options. And because he was Neji and not Sasuke, he was not dismissing out of hand the final, ultimate solution.

"So when you're awake, your will plays a large part in containing the demon."

"Yes," Naruto answered, willing to let Neji work through this and come to his own conclusions.

"Now because you're exhausted, it is likely that when you reach the delta stage of sleep, your mind shuts down enough to cease being a controlling factor."

Neji had Naruto's attention. As a Hyuuga, Neji understood the brain, and further, the body's chakra system.

"So, if we put a finer point on the problem," Neji moved to stand before the window, "we see that you need the demon held in check while you rest, perhaps only during stages three and four."

Naruto smiled at Neji.

"Hey you," he said. When Neji turned in his direction, Naruto continued. "You're amazing."

Neji turned fully, his body stiff and his eyes hard.

"And Sasuke is correct; you are too accepting. I've warned you…we've _both_ warned you…about giving up."

Naruto's smile fell and his head dropped.

"You're right," he said, properly chastened. "I'm sorry." He rubbed his face with his hands. "My only excuse is that I'm so damned tired."

Neji's demeanor softened and he pulled Naruto into his arms.

"I know," he whispered. "And I've let you down. This particular problem has been before us for weeks and it took a near catastrophe for me to stop and consider a solution."

Naruto closed his eyes and rested his head tiredly on Neji's shoulder. It was only a few minutes here and there but it was such a comfort to be able to lean on someone else, to feel that he was shoulder to shoulder with someone who would fight to the death with him.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All In is complete. Hope you are enjoying Constellations.

Neji stood stiff by the bed in the tower sleeping quarters waiting for Naruto to finish his conference with the Hunters in the corner of the room.

He was having a hard time finding the box in his mind. If the Hunters had to take Naruto's head; if he had to _let_ the Hunters take Naruto's head…

His breath stuttered briefly as doubts hammered at him. His biggest doubt was about shouldering this risk alone. They'd told Sasuke nothing, given him no opportunity to help.

But Naruto had pleaded to leave Sasuke out of this. Let him get some rest he'd begged, and then he'd work to bring their home back to some semblance of normal.

Neji didn't know how Sasuke would have responded to this, but if he had to go home today and tell his family that Naruto… The blood left his head again and he struggled to bring up the white noise that kept him sane. Now was the time for focus, for a cool head.

Clinging to the empirical, to reason, he breathed and thought. The way he figured it, there were two options for helping Naruto; brute force or finesse. He didn't have the chakra to just sit on the seal and muscle through the pull on the demon. But he did have the ability to see the escape route and block it. In theory.

"Ready?" Naruto smiled at him and laced their fingers in a reassuring squeeze.

"Naruto, I…" Neji started.

"It'll be fine, okay?" Naruto grinned. "We won't need them. They just don't have anything better to do."

Neji closed his eyes and inhaled through his nose. His job was to help hold Naruto up, not pull him down. He nodded.

Naruto pulled his clothes off and crawled onto the bed. Neji crawled up beside him and activated his byakugan.

Damn. He was going to have to simultaneously block every chakra path that even passed near the seal.

"Whaddya think?" Naruto finally asked.

Neji nodded after a moment. "I can do this." He just didn't know for how long.

Naruto's smile widened. "You're awesome. Just let me know when you're ready."

Neji quickly created a web inside Naruto that he could control from a single point. His heart hammering, he nodded and his gaze shot to the group in the corner. He could almost feel their mounting anticipation from here.

"Okay, I'm going to let you have it all." Naruto closed his eyes and Neji felt the pressure against his barricades build. After several seconds of building force, his breath caught and he felt a moment of panic.

" _I can't do this_ ," flashed through his mind. " _No! I can_ ," he said to himself forcefully and gathered his focus.

The force built and built and…then leveled off. Neji looked at Naruto. "Do I have it all now?"

If Neji ever doubted it before, the look on Naruto's face told him everything. It may not have been true in the beginning, but it was now. Naruto loved him.

"You do," Naruto whispered.

And he would not let Naruto down.

"Are you okay?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. Now sleep."

Naruto looked at him another moment, adoration clear on his face, then closed his eyes. He was asleep in seconds.

+++

_Damn! Damn! Damn!_

It had only been four hours and Neji couldn't hold the demon any longer. Even the Hunters in the room could sense the struggle, the fluctuations, and were aligning their grips on their swords.

Naruto probably hadn't even reached the Delta stage. He'd still be exhausted after this.

Maybe he could hold out just another…

Heat gathered in and around his eyes, in the palms of his hands.

"Naruto." Naruto's breathing changed, but he didn't wake up. "Naruto! Wake up!"

Naruto's eyes flew open and he blinked several times.

"Huh? What?" He looked around the room and Neji watched comprehension dawn.

"I can't hold…" Neji closed his eyes. "I'm sorry."

Naruto sat up and scrubbed his face briskly.

"No, it's okay. I'm awake. I've got it." He looked at Neji and smiled through a yawn. "I'm awake now."

Naruto still looked exhausted, dark circles stood out against a washed out pallor.

"We need more help," Neji said.

Naruto stopped in the middle of pulling on pants.

"All Hyuuga's have the ability. Also anyone with sage level chakra."

Naruto frowned, but Neji continued.

"I know you hate asking for help, so you don't have to. I will."

Neji could almost hear the unspoken question in Naruto's head. " _Sasuke_?"

"Our agreement…" Naruto started. "We protect Sasuke."

Neji rubbed his face in uncharacteristic agitation.

"He's not protected now." Neji thought about all the times he'd spied Sasuke standing unseeing, his fists clenched, his face contorted, of all the times a noise would bring him to the bedroom to find Sasuke thrashing, crying, in his sleep.

"Just…" Naruto's face was pleading. "Let's try this first and then I'll fix things with him at home."

Neji didn't answer right away.

"Please." Naruto came to stand in front of Neji.

Neji sighed. This was irrational. All of it.

Sasuke was being irrational, doing the exact opposite of what he should be doing, shutting everyone out, blinding himself to the world around him, hiding instead of helping. But Neji understood him and what he was doing was really no different than what he and Naruto were doing.

All three of them had a portion of themselves that acknowledged this threat. The differences were in how they internalized and externalized the resulting emotions.

Sasuke couldn't face life without Naruto, but he'd painted himself into a corner by building a family. He was out of control, which was the most dangerous thing for an Uchiha. Put a daunting task before Sasuke and he could accomplish more than most. Put the impossible before him and he became an asshole.

Put a threat to his family before him and tell him there was no way to fix it… He became nuts.

Neji imagined Sasuke joining the efforts at the tower and facing one failure, one disappointment, one nail in Naruto's coffin, after another. He could envision what Naruto had feared all those years ago; the erosion of Sasuke's sanity.

Naruto looked reality in the face most unflinchingly. He'd come to terms with it many years ago. But he refused to inflict it on anyone. He had a sense that people fell into two categories, those who didn't care about Naruto's problems and those who did. He didn't see a point in bothering those who didn't care. Those who did care were such a dear and precious commodity, such a rare and wonderful thing to Naruto, that he would open a vein, would expel his last breath to keep the sun shining on those precious few. So he smiled and kept his burdens to himself.

If Naruto's loved ones wanted to help support him, they first had to look for the problem and then force their support on him.

Neji realized that, in truth, he was no different. He saw the threat, but it was askance, in the barest periphery of his thoughts. He kept his eyes and mind focused firmly forward. He kept his focus linear, on his children and their needs; on next steps and activities. Spine stiff, head forward, his days were one foot in front of the other.

There was a small container in his mind, way in the back, that was black and ugly and hammering for attention. It was full of panic and squirming sickness and jagged fear and clawing screams. But he kept the lid firmly in place, leaving the clean white stillness in the forefront of his mind. Naruto and Sasuke and their children needed that from him and that's what he would do.

Yes, the truth, the fear, lived in all three of them. Neji let the fear be displaced with clean white stillness that served his family best. Naruto let love fill him and cover his fear like a warm soft blanket. Sasuke let anger grow and build until fear was crushed under the weight of a consuming rage.

Was it fair of him to take Sasuke's coping mechanism away from him? Or indeed Naruto's?

He sighed. "Okay, Naruto. For now."

+++

Naruto laughed at the stunned expressions on the faces of their two oldest boys. Naruto's and Sasuke's sons had this uncanny rivalry that erupted into contention eight or nine hundred times a day.

The two had been waging an increasingly escalated assault as they fought with their elbows to determine exactly where the boundary was on the table between one dinner plate and the other.

Seconds before the battle had escalated into an all out war, the boys found themselves dangling upside down over their upturned chairs.

"You two can fight all you want for position of top dog in this house," Naruto started conversationally, "but I gotta tell you, it's a pointless battle.

"Because, in this house…" The air shackled around their ankles vibrated, jerking the boys to attention. " _I'm_ the top dog." He shook them again. "Got it?"

The other children cheered and Naruto cast a glance at Sasuke. The bastard had been silent and stiff through dinner, but his lip was twitching and his amusement had reached his eyes.

Neither boy answered, too busy casting disgruntled looks at each other around the blood rushing to their heads.

"You think you're ready to take me now?" Naruto raised a brow. He moved the baby in his arms to his shoulder and started to burp him.

Sasuke's boy immediately shook his head, his hair hanging in shaggy black spikes. Naruto's son studied him with pursed lips for several seconds. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto caught Sasuke's jaw working to hold in his mirth.

"I'd advise you to think hard on this, son," Sasuke said to the dangling blond. "Because you'd also have to whip Neji," he leaned on his hand and raised a brow at his adopted son, "and me."

"Or," Neji added, "You two could try to remember you are brothers and not enemies."

Both boys frowned, muttering unintelligible epithets at each other.

After dinner, Neji cast several worried glances at Naruto. That chakra display had been as much for Sasuke's benefit as the boys and Neji, as exhausted as he knew Naruto to be, had been surprised he could even pull it off.

It had worked though. By the end of dinner, Sasuke had appeared more relaxed than Neji had seen him in weeks. Deciding to let Naruto continue to work his magic, he'd told Naruto and Sasuke to leave the clean up to him and go get the kids' baths. They'd agreed and the happy sounds floating to him from around his home eased his soul.

It had done Naruto such good to see Sasuke smile tonight at dinner. He felt like he'd finally exhaled after weeks of holding his breath. He hadn't realized how badly he'd needed this bit of normalcy, or how much the children had needed it as well. While it was nothing particularly overt, as they navigated the nighttime rituals he'd missed these last weeks he sensed an especial neediness in their babies. They clung longer and more tightly and were reluctant to let the day end, begging longer and more strenuously for playtime and stories.

He came to understand how observant children were. The underlying theme of all their bedtime petitions revolved around keeping Naruto and Sasuke together in the same room, near each other. The twins had produced a strangling tangle of limbs, wrapping their arms around each other and around both Naruto's and Sasuke's necks. Then they'd created an impromptu little game that involved goodnight kisses and only let the game go when Naruto and Sasuke had kissed each other.

The continuation of this return to normalcy, which he felt resided entirely on his shoulders, was paramount to Naruto. This problem with the demon, _his_ problem, was what had brought this family down, and they all seemed to be looking to him to set the tone, to set everything right.

Some time later, Sasuke and Naruto closed the last bedroom door and sighed wearily. But Naruto didn't want to allow time for Sasuke to stop and think. So he moved into Sasuke's space and pressed him into the hallway wall.

"Tired?" Naruto asked in a warm puff of breath against Sasuke's neck.

Sasuke only paused a moment before gripping Naruto's hips and sighing, "No. You?"

"Mm," Naruto was saved from elaborating by Neji who appeared at their sides and guided them down the hall to their own room.

+++

Sasuke groaned as Naruto moved inside him and Neji held him in his hot mouth.

As always, it was so good, but…there was something wrong. He couldn't quite…place…it… Then he knew.

"Get off me. Both of you get the fuck off me." He swung off the bed and began pacing and pulling his hair.

"Is this what you came back here for?" He yelled at Naruto. "First you don't give anything and then you give too much." Spit flew from his mouth as he raged, "And that turns out to be fucking nothing too, doesn't it?"

Naruto sat on the edge of the bed, his head hanging. Neji sat at his side, his arm around his slumped shoulders.

"Is this what we've come to? Pity fucks for Sasuke? For gods' sakes, Naruto. A fake erection?" He barked an ugly laugh. "Only you, Mr. Chakra King of the Universe, could whip up a fake erection. What? I don't do it for you anymore?

"And you!" He pointed at Neji. "You knew it. I know you did." Neji just looked at him as Naruto's shoulder's shook and sniffling breaths came from the bowed, blond head.

"I'm sorry. It's not you. Please believe that."

"This has been ridiculous. First we can't find hide nor hair of you, then you come back for this?"

"Sasuke, I'm trying. There are just some things I don't know how to do." Naruto muttered. "I don't know how to get ready to die. I don't know…"

Sasuke spun, gripping his hair and screamed. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! I hate when you talk this shit! You don't _plan_ to die, you just fucking _do it_!"

Naruto nodded and Neji gasped as he saw where this was going.

"Would that fix this? To get rid of the planning and the waiting?"

"Give the man a big fucking cigar. Maybe he's not as stupid as he looks!"

"Sasuke, please don't say things that you haven't thought through," Neji said.

"Shut up, you traitor."

Naruto stood and pulled on pants.

"Where the hell are you going? I'm not through with you yet. Not till you stop this shit."

"I've stopped." Naruto walked out of the room.

Neji just looked at Sasuke.

"What?" Sasuke snapped.

"I have to leave," Neji whispered.

Sasuke faced him fully, his whole body rigid.

"I'll…I'll," Neji rubbed his palms on his legs, more agitated than Sasuke had ever seen him. "I'll be here when the kids are here and awake." He turned and grabbed his bag from the corner. "And…and I'll keep an eye on him." He unhooked his weapons pouch from the back of the door. "I'll…uhm…be at the quarters in the Hokage Tower." He looked at Sasuke. "I'll watch him from there."

Sasuke's heart was racing and he felt the pressure of pounding blood in his head.

"Neji…"

"I've done what I promised myself and both of you I would never do. I've let you put me between you." He came and grasped Sasuke's hands, his anguish clear on his face.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I let you do it because I thought it would help both of you." Neji's voice broke. "But, there's no help, is there? It's all just…"

"Neji, you haven't…"

"I'm a window between you two now. He looks through me to you, wishing what I give him came from you. You…your side is a two way glass. You'd see him if you got close enough to look. But you stand far enough back that all you see is yourself."

He pulled away. "I promise I'll watch him." He stuffed a few more things in his pack. "I have to go now. He's getting so close to making a rash decision."

"What?!"

"He sees what this is doing to you. And he feels you turning further and further away. And he's so tired."

"Why is he tired?" Sasuke was getting frantic and latching on to anything to keep Neji talking…and from leaving.

"Do you hear yourself? Tonight happened because he is completely exhausted." Neji shook his head and backed away. "And you don't know why."

"Neji, wait!" Sasuke was terrified. Not so much by Neji leaving but by the idea of being left alone with Naruto and this leviathan of terror that came with him.

"I have to go now. I've waited too long already." He turned and left the room on a run.

He found Naruto leaning against a Knotwood tree not far from the house.

Naruto took one look at Neji with his bag over his shoulder and heaved a sob.

"Please don't leave!" Naruto dropped to his knees and threw his arms around Neji's waist.

"Naruto…" Neji started, threading his fingers through the blond hair.

"Please. The kids. Sasuke. I…I…" he started to tell Neji that he needed him, but then thought that his burden might be why Neji was leaving. "I'll stand more on my own two feet." He rushed on, "I'll ask the toads to help me sleep."

Neji pulled Naruto up into his arms. "No, Naruto. Stop. That's not what this is about."

"Tell me what to do to fix this. To make you stay."

"It's not you." Neither had heard Sasuke walk up. "It's me."

He walked up to the two holding each other. Though it seemed to pain him, he reached out and stiffly wrapped his arms around both of them.

"If I promise to…" he swallowed audibly and closed his eyes, "…try, will you stay?"

"I just want to help both of you. Honestly, I don't know if it is my presence or my absence that will do the most good. Or frankly, if there is any help for any of it."

Both Naruto and Sasuke said in unison, "Stay."

"I need you," Naruto said.

"We both do. Now more than ever." Sasuke pulled them closer. "I know we're asking a lot, but please help us."

Neji sighed and allowed Sasuke to lead them all into the house.


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blessed sleep. Not me; Naruto!

Not much changed for several days, except that Sasuke seemed even more tense and quiet.

On the third day, the shower door opened and Sasuke crowded into the stall with Neji. He leaned back against the opposite wall and stared at the floor for several minutes. Finally Neji saw his lips move but couldn't hear him over the spray. He turned off the water.

"What did you say?"

"Seven years ago." Sasuke slid down the wall to sit on the floor. Neji mimicked him and they sat across from each other, their arms resting on upturned knees.

Neji waited.

"Seven years ago, I could have done this." Sasuke stared at a trail of water meandering toward the drain. "I could have done what you're doing for him. Been a part of this." His fingers attempted to divert the water's path.

"I could have jumped in with both feet and we would have battled this together until the very end. Then, if it came to it, I would have followed him to whatever lies beyond."

Neji nodded. "Now you can't go with him."

Sasuke looked at Neji. "You are already carrying such a large burden. I hate to ask you to carry part of mine."

"I have no real burden. I am here to help with yours and his." Neji tilted his head. "Naruto's is large and I can't really help him carry it, but I can listen to him and do some of the things that help him carry it more easily.

"Of all the burdens, though, yours is the heaviest. I don't find fault in your struggles to carry it. Neither does Naruto. We've all lost family and we understand that being left behind is the hardest of all." Neji's fingers guided a small dribble of water around an imperfection in the shower floor, aiding its journey toward the drain.

"If I could, I would carry your burden and Naruto's as well. I would take them and fly away with them, leaving you both in peace."

Sasuke's throat worked momentarily.

"What I don't want to do is stand between you two, interpreting for each other, running interference, trying to be a conduit for comfort and strength that should be given directly."

After several moments of silence broken only by the rhythmic echo of water splashing into the bottom of the drainpipe, Sasuke spoke, his voice almost unrecognizable.

"Do you think this really could happen?"

"Who can say? In the end, that really isn't the point. The point is that he thinks it will."

Sasuke shifted and sighed. He rubbed his hand over his face.

"Alright, tell me why he's tired."

Neji nodded.

"Something is trying to pull the demon from Naruto's body, much like the other two times. It has had a cumulative effect, taxing him more and more and is to the point of affecting the restorative stages of his sleep. There is a window during stage four in which the enemy will get the demon." Neji shrugged. "So, while he sleeps, I hold the demon in."

Sasuke covered his face with his hands. He felt like an asshole.

"The problem is," Neji continued, "I can only do it for a couple of hours. I don't have one tenth the chakra that either of you have, so I'm only able to give him snatches of sleep here and there.

"Hinata has helped several times, but her ability is about equal with mine. Between the two of us, we managed to give him six straight hours two days ago. The toads have been our life savers, though. They have been giving him some real rest, but again, we've only been able to manage it a couple times a week."

"God damn it." Sasuke groaned. "If I thought it would help, I'd hire five guys to kick my ass right now." He shook his head again. "Okay, I can fix the sleeping part. What's being done to stop it?"

"We're meeting every day. Konoha and Suna teams are out at all times scouting and gathering intel. Rock and Mist have thrown a couple of teams our way as well. The toads have tried to find the thread as you did four years ago, but it's not the same. Of course you know that, for several years now, Shika has been exploring ways to eliminate the demon for good. We've given him more resources to expand his research. Since I can't leave Konoha, I'm on that team."

"My gods, I am so sorry."

Neji patted the foot closest to him. "It probably would help both of you if you got more involved."

Sasuke pictured weeks of meetings and research and all the fear and uncertainty of Naruto's days. Then he pictured himself with his arms crossed stubbornly over his chest, his back turned toward the whole situation. The one time in their relationship that Naruto needed him most, when he should have been shoulder to shoulder with his lover, and he'd gone into hiding instead.

"Does he think I don't love him anymore?"

Neji smiled. "Just the opposite. He understands, truly."

"You know a lot about what he's thinking and feeling."

"That's how I help him carry his burden. I listen to him."

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to do that. Talk to him over the breakfast table about…" He couldn't even say it.

"And that's how I help you carry your burden."

Sasuke looked at Neji. 'I do love you, you know?"

"I love you, too. Now let's see about getting Naruto some sleep."

They found him at the Hokage Tower slumped, blearily staring at a pile of scrolls on his desk.

"Hey, guys." He pushed up when Neji and Sasuke entered.

Sasuke strode purposefully around the desk. When he reached Naruto, he grasped the back of his head with one hand and hauled him in for a scorching kiss. He pulled back and looked into golden eyes.

"Bed. Now." Naruto's face fell.

"Sasuke," he whispered.

"Shh. What would it take to seduce you," Sasuke kissed him again, "into eight or ten hours of sleep?"

Naruto laughed and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's back.

"My god, that is the sexiest thing you've ever said to me."

"Sleep here," Neji said. "It's quieter. I'll come in a few hours and give you a break."

Sasuke nodded as he pulled Naruto toward the door that led to sleeping quarters.

After Sasuke shut the door behind them, Naruto reached for the hooks on his flak jacket. Sasuke stopped him.

"I haven't done this in so long. Let me?"

"I've missed you so much, Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded and worked the rest of the fastenings on the vest. After tossing it aside, he pulled the black mesh shirt up and over Naruto's head. Sasuke's eyes followed the path his fingers were taking down Naruto's ribs.

"In all my life, I've never seen anything more perfect than you." He reached the fastening on the pants and after a couple of practiced flicks, was on his knees sliding the garment to the floor.

As Naruto pulled first one foot then the other free, Sasuke pressed his lips to a muscled hip and held them there. Naruto caressed his head and Sasuke looked up, his eyes wet.

"So perfect." He cleared his throat and stood, taking both Naruto's hands in his.

"Now, to bed. Neji explained everything and this should be no drain on me at all."

Naruto nodded. "Probably not. Just really boring."

"Sleep until you wake up. The kids are okay and Neji and I can handle the demon. We even have Hinata standing by if we need her."

"Sleep, blessed sleep." Naruto kissed Sasuke. "You are my hero." He turned and crawled on the mattress, then waited until Sasuke had his hand over the seal.

"This will give you an idea what it will be like when I'm sleeping. Ready?"

Sasuke nodded and Naruto eased his control back until Sasuke felt the full effect of the outside pull on the demon.

"Son of a bitch! Is this what you've been dealing with? Every day, all day?"

Naruto shrugged. Sasuke rubbed his face.

"Can you ever forgive me?"

"I love you. The end."

Sasuke ran his fingers down Naruto's forehead and over his eyelids, closing Naruto's eyes.

"Sleep. I'm here now." Naruto's sigh was pure contentment and he was asleep in seconds.

+++

Sasuke was lying on his side watching Naruto's chest expand and contract when the blond's breathing changed; he was waking up. Naruto rolled to his back and stretched languidly, the sleepy growl he made shooting straight to Sasuke's groin.

Sasuke saw Naruto's nose twitch and a small smile form on his face as he recognized Sasuke's scent. "Hey, bastard." His voice was a rough rasp.

Sasuke propped his head on his hand. "Hey."

"How'd it go? Boring?"

"Not at all. The conversations you had in your sleep were fascinating." He rubbed a finger down a tan bicep. "Who's Aimi?"

Naruto's brow furrowed. "Huh?" Then he laughed at Sasuke's smirk. "Dumbass."

"How are you feeling? I could hold the demon a while longer if you want." He rose and scooted to kneel over Naruto. "Of course, you'd have to put up with my hands on you," he whispered.

"Mmm. Tempting."

"What do you think, Naruto? Could you put up with my hands on you?" Sasuke pressed his teeth to Naruto's jaw. "Do you feel well enough to let me make love to you?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Do you feel well enough to make love to me?"

Naruto looked thoughtful for about two seconds and his grin was huge. "Yeah! Hell of a difference some sleep makes."

Sasuke sat up and began stripping off his clothes.

"Wait." Naruto maneuvered Sasuke and himself off the bed. "Like you said, it's been a while. Let me."

Naruto nipped and teased and Sasuke was euphoric. This was a Naruto he hadn't seen in a while. The sun was once again shining brightly in his world.

Sasuke was finally on his back in bed, Naruto knelt next to him, staring hungrily at his body.

"Are you in a hurry?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke laughed lightly. "I've been staring at your naked body for hours and you ask if I'm in a hurry."

That wasn't really an answer, so Naruto decided for himself.

"I want to taste every inch of this gorgeous body of yours. His eyes became a deeper blue as he heard Sasuke's breath hitch and watched his semi-hard length fill out completely.

Naruto was as good as his word. Not an inch of Sasuke's body was left untouched, untasted, and several spots sported deep maroon marks where Naruto had nearly forgotten his purpose and let passion take over.

"Tell me what you want." Naruto had moved over Sasuke and was sliding their erections together.

Panting, Sasuke opened his eyes. They were unfocused for several seconds. "I want to come with you inside me." He pressed his hips up. "Now, please."

Without breaking eye contact, Naruto reached down, aligned himself and pressed forward gently.

"I love it when it's just you and me. After all these years, you still excite me more than anyone or anything in this whole world."

Sasuke reached up and cupped Naruto's face. "And you're still my first and only true love. What I feel for you…" He held Naruto's gaze until Naruto nodded in understanding.

This was comfort for Naruto. Each time with Sasuke was new and exciting, but the greatest joy came from that which was familiar. The familiarity of Sasuke's scent, the slope of his ear that Naruto could recognize blindfolded, the particular sounds he made when Naruto bit near that one silvery scar on his shoulder, the way Sasuke's fingers dug into his arms and his heel into that spot on Naruto's right flank.

This was a store of memories pieced together to make a life. This was a lifetime of experiences shared. This was history and it was future. This was the foundation of his very existence.

Then they were floating on a sea of fire. They were shattered and rebuilt over and over. Each time the bond that was never really tattered at all, was polished and tended until it was wrapped around them in a comforting embrace, stronger than ever.

The atmosphere in their home changed significantly after that day. Sasuke helped Naruto sleep and, rested, he was more like his old self, filling all their lives with light, laughter and love.

The dinner table became a place of happy chatter and the bedroom became a steamy island of passion.

After a couple of days, Sasuke entered the meeting room at Naruto's side. He bowed at the assembly and said, "I'd like to help"

Several people rushed up and patted his back and grasped his hands. He heard several shouts of "Thank the gods!"

And he was in his element. He had a sense of taking and being in control. Being able to facilitate Naruto's sleep and being brought up to date on the situation gave him a purpose and eased many of the fears he'd let build on a foundation of ignorance.

"I'd like to make elimination of the demon my first priority," Sasuke said to Neji and Naruto while he ate gustily during a lunch break. "But I don't think it's practical to focus my efforts there."

Naruto nodded. Neji sat at his side, his hand over the seal, giving Naruto a short break from the pull on the demon.

"Yeah. We really don't have any direction there. I wish Jiraiya or my father had written something down about the seal. Who would have thought it would be this impossible to reverse engineer?"

"I wish it wasn't true, but that avenue could yield results tomorrow, or not for years." Sasuke chewed and tapped his chopsticks absently on the side of his bowl. "My teams have been talking and what it really boils down to is that we need to find this enemy."

Both men nodded in agreement.

"Considering the lack of results with all the other search methods we've used so far, we've come up with an idea. It might be like looking for a hatpin in a hayfield, but I'd like to search the earth. Through the earth."

Naruto tilted his head in consideration. "Send your chakra out in a grid and see what's out there?"

"Essentially. I wonder if the reason our teams in the field are coming up with nothing is because they are underground."

Naruto sat up, dislodging Neji's hand. The switchover of control caused a look of relief on Neji's face.

"I'll bet you're right. And if we both searched…"

"No." Sasuke interrupted. "This is no different than last time. If you happened to be the one to find them, we would have just laid an open pipe from them to Kyuubi."

Naruto looked at the ceiling and sighed. "Yeah. Damn I feel helpless."

Sasuke reached out and squeezed his hand. "I'll send you the official membership card later."

Naruto grinned at him. "I really like you."

Heat filled Sasuke's eyes for several moments then he went back to attacking his lunch.

So Sasuke began scouring the earth in one meter swathes. At the end of three days everyone checked the progress on a map. The mood soured when they realized that while he'd searched 1000 kilometers out, he'd only covered 300 meters across. Only forty million meters to go.

"Don't get discouraged," Neji told both of them in bed later. "The odds of finding them tomorrow are as good as any other day."

Sasuke sighed. "I suppose." He rubbed his face. This was tiring him as well and now he was pulling double shifts, working all day and helping Naruto sleep at night.

Naruto turned on his side and stroked Sasuke's chest and ribs. "Neji's right. We'll try again tomorrow. But I realized this afternoon that now you're the one not resting."

"I'm fine…"

"No, wait. I have an idea. We'll split the difference tonight, but tomorrow I want to try something. Remember when I told you about the little trick I tried with the toads years ago? The one where I left two clones in reserve in case I got knocked out?"

Sasuke sat up. "Yes! That was brilliant. One clone to maintain the other, so you don't even have to be conscious." Neji was sitting up as well, his eyes wide. He didn't have the sage abilities, but he understood the theory well enough to understand this.

"I don't trust my own abilities on this because my own chakra is under attack, but you could possibly put a couple of clones in place to hold the demon and then we could all go back to sleeping like normal people. Well, maybe not normal people." He grinned.

"Yes." Sasuke started some rudimentary hand signs, but Naruto stopped him.

"Tomorrow. I want to have some backup in place in case this doesn't work out. About half of my shit never goes the way I think it will."


	31. Chapter 31

Naruto stood against the wall, towel and a change of clothing in hand, waiting for Neji to come out of the bathroom after his shower. The door finally opened and Neji stepped out and stopped in front of Naruto with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"How are you feeling? After your shower, I can give you a nap until the baby wakes up."

Naruto felt a surge of affection. Neji was always so considerate, always putting Naruto first.

"We'll see. You do so much for me already."

"It is my pleasure to do so. But if you want it, you have to take it now. Hinata is coming home with the children and staying for dinner."

"That'll be great. The boys have been dying to show her the snake they found." He grinned. "She'll be thrilled."

Neji wondered if Naruto was aware that he had placed his hands on Neji's hips. That Naruto's fingertips were unconsciously tracing small circles on his ass cheeks.

Actually, it had changed years ago. Not long after he'd moved in, he felt Naruto start to slip unconsciously into something closer, but he always realized and then pulled back and, having agreed to his request to keep a certain distance, Neji had let him.

Neji realized that he'd forgotten the lesson Sasuke had taught him years ago about the perils of holding back. Who was this arrangement, as it stood, benefiting? Neji had agreed because Naruto had asked. But Naruto had done it for Neji's sake.

Neji suddenly felt ashamed about the wasted years. He'd let Naruto choose for him but it never should have been Naruto's choice. All these years, he could have been giving even more to the man he loved.

Naruto chattered away about Hinata's visit. When he stopped talking, Neji, hmm'd absently and then leaned and pressed his lips to Naruto's.

Automatically, Naruto's lips parted and allowed Neji entrance with a needy whimper. After several seconds, Neji finally pulled back and brushed his fingers over the front of Naruto's shorts.

Naruto looked down at the erection obvious in his pants.

"Huh." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "When did that happen?"

"Shortly after I moved in?"

"Hmm. Looks like my secret's out."

"You just lost your chance for a shower and a nap." Neji grasped Naruto's head and glued their lips together. Without breaking contact, he guided them to the bedroom and pushed Naruto onto the bed. He tossed his towel to the floor and crawled in beside him.

Naruto participated eagerly in their mutual explorations. It was all very familiar, but satisfyingly new. Finally he let go of Neji's neck long enough to rasp, "Tell me what you want."

"Let me in." Naruto understood the double meaning in Neji's request. This was not a performance for Sasuke. This was just the two of them. Naruto nodded and answered, "Yes."

Later they lie on their sides facing each other. "I'm sorry I made you wait."

"I've waited for nothing. I've had everything my heart desires since that day in the hospital when you two pulled me into your arms."

The door opened and Sasuke came in. Naruto reached out a hand, still gazing at Neji.

"Hey, bastard," he whispered. "I love Neji."

Sasuke crawled onto the bed to lie behind Neji, resting their cheeks together so they were both looking at Naruto.

"Me, too." He rubbed his cheek against Neji's and sighed. "This is how I like to come home."

Neji and Naruto looked at each other. Sasuke didn't even realize that he'd never come home to this before, that his two lovers had never been together without him in their years together.

Naruto looked at the faces gazing at him, those beautiful, dear faces and felt his heart swell.

Neji, who saw each of them with an intense focus, who looked deep and tried to walk in their footsteps and truly understand them. Neji, who knew each of them better than they knew themselves.

Sasuke, with the heart of a clan leader, who didn't have the depth of insight that Neji had because his senses were spread further abroad. Sasuke, who continuously scanned the world, looking for ways to rearrange it to please his family.

Naruto reached out and spread his fingers so that he could touch both sets of lips. He marveled at the love he saw shining from their eyes, for him.

"God damn, but I'm the luckiest man alive."

"Perhaps Sasuke could give you that nap? Maybe you could finish the baby's nap with him?"

Naruto's face lit up and Sasuke got up. He held his hand out. "Come on, Dobe."

Sasuke pulled Naruto into the baby's room and pointed to the spare bed against the wall. He moved over to the crib and after lovingly smoothing the silky blond curls on the tiny skull, gently picked the baby up and placed him on Naruto's chest. Just as Naruto got comfortable, a look of pure bliss on his face, Neji's one year old daughter, the only other girl besides Naruto's twin, slid out of her bed. Rubbing her eyes, she toddled over and tried to crawl up with Naruto. Sasuke picked her up and she immediately tucked herself onto Naruto's shoulder and returned her thumb to her mouth.

When Sasuke finally sat on the edge of the bed and put his hand on Naruto's seal, he saw Naruto staring at the ceiling, blinking hard. In spite of his efforts, a tear slid down his temple into his hair.

Sasuke wiped at the wet track and caressed Naruto's cheek. Naruto looked at him, his smile watery.

"Never think that I have a single regret. No man could ever have more than I do." He then closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, a smile on his face.

+++

Without conscious thought, Naruto changed his and Neji's relationship. Whenever he was close enough, he reflexively reached out and touched Neji's hair or brushed his fingers down a pale arm.

Then one day he was particularly tired from holding in the demon. He was feeling the number of his days and it hit him. What the hell was he doing? It suddenly seemed downright cruel to foster an even deeper relationship with Neji when his time was growing so short. He pulled back and before long, Neji blocked his path through a doorway one day.

"How are you feeling today?" Naruto knew Neji's detention for the opening gambit that it was.

"Neji, I feel really bad about all of this. I'm not being fair. I shouldn't have let things change."

"You have changed nothing. I loved you before. I love you now. But now I am able to give this to you." Trust Neji to take the burden of the change on himself.

"You carry such a load for me."

"You carry the burden of the world." Neji grasped Naruto's hand and hefted it as if weighing it. "I only carry this." He squeezed it. "It is not heavy."

"Are you going to be okay?" Naruto's voice broke.

"He will fall apart, so I will not."

When Naruto was tired, he was at his weakest. His mind would fill with the broader perspective and the stark lack of progress. Hopelessness and despair would follow soon after. Like now.

But Neji was a master at understanding Naruto's mind. He knew that Naruto was overwhelmed, weighed down by the large and small details. His mind was being crushed thinking about teams and toads, about past, present and future enemies, about plans already underway and plans yet to be devised. His heart was aching thinking about his children, about first steps and first words, about time wasted and time well spent, and about futures that he didn't believe he'd get to see. His mind was spinning and his back was breaking.

At these times, Neji would talk, narrowing Naruto's focus to days or hours, or even minutes. He would engage Naruto in, not the whole plan, but the next single step. Or an activity. He pulled Naruto into the kitchen then piled vegetables and a knife before him. He handed Naruto a small card.

"It's been a while since we made this. The recipe is here."

Naruto stared at the card unseeing for many moments, but Neji just kept at his own task.

For a while, Naruto stared at the pile of vegetables, still seeing much of the desolation in his mind. Then he mechanically chopped, and as his hands became engaged, his mind slowly followed. Before long he was studying the recipe and rummaging through cupboards. Finally he was fully engaged, thinking ahead to required pots and utensils, to oven temperatures and even whether he felt like improvising on the ingredients.

Suddenly he realized what Neji had done. He'd let Naruto lean on him and then helped him stand back up again. He went to Neji and pulled him into his arms.

"You are a miracle." Naruto sighed.

"He is." Sasuke came in the door and wrapped his arms around Naruto from behind.

His senses were instantly on the alert and discord hummed through him. These two were not happy. Frustration and the need to act filled him.

"I just came home to eat and then I'm going to search some more."

"You're leaving again?" Naruto forgot to hide his disappointment. Every minute was excruciatingly precious and he hated being away from any of them for any amount of time.

"I wonder if we could try this from the meditation garden," Neji said.

Sasuke cocked his head. "That should be okay. The children will have to hold it down, though."

So Sasuke worked from home and Naruto and Neji took turns occupying the children and hanging out in the garden with Sasuke.

"Can I sit with you while you work?"

Sasuke smiled at Naruto and patted his thigh. "Put your head here."

"You sure it won't distract you?"

"Positive." Sasuke knew it would help him relax if he could feel Naruto's heartbeat, strong under his palm, feel the warmth of his living flesh against his leg, hear the steady sound of his breathing. Having him near, where he could keep an eye on him and be reassured that he was a living, breathing presence in his life, settled and calmed Sasuke.

So while Sasuke sat lotus style and meditated, Naruto stretched out and rested his head on his lap.

Naruto, being Naruto though, it didn't take long before his mind wandered and the fidgeting began.

Sasuke chuckled as he felt a fingertip caressing his hip bone.

"I've long considered it the eighth wonder of the world that you ever became a sage," Sasuke said, his eyes still closed, a smirk on his lips.

"Hey!"

"Now that I know the ability to remain motionless is the key, I can hardly imagine the beatings the toads must have dished out to make you sit still."

Naruto blushed. "They did have to...uh...refocus my attention once in a while. But seriously, this is completely different."

"Is that so?"

"Well, yeah. In all fairness, Sasuke, they didn't have one of these." And he pressed his lips to Sasuke's crotch, then settled back.

"Hn."

"Not that I ever looked, mind you." He appeared thoughtful for a second then got a disturbed look on his face. "Ew."

Sasuke looked at the face that he loved more than his next breath and considered stripping the clothes from that hard body and lying with Naruto.

But this was important. His entire future happiness depended on being able to find this enemy and destroy it.

"Why don't you take a nap? I'll make a clone so you can rest."

"Think you can do both?"

Sasuke shrugged. "It might slow the search down a bit, but not much."

Naruto nuzzled his cheek against Sasuke's thigh and sighed in contentment. As he drifted to sleep, he muttered, "...love you."

He woke to the tensing of Sasuke's body and a change in the chakra in the room.

"I found it."

Naruto sat up and shook his head, trying to clear the sleep from his brain.

"You are so fucking awesome," Naruto said as he activated the tattoo on his arm.

Minutes later the room was crowded with the council, Tsunade, Neji and several Anbu.

Naruto and Neji squatted before Sasuke who still had his palm to the floor, his link to the enemy unwavering.

The three grinned at each other then Sasuke's eyes narrowed and the occupants of the room were subjected to his gathering chakra.

Neji put his hand over Sasuke's, his lover's display of power an irresistible temptation. His eyes closed and he gasped as Sasuke's chakra wrapped around him and then raced down and out of the room. Several seconds later he could almost see the explosions as the chakra reached its destination and erupted in a giant ball of black fire.

Sasuke sagged. He'd sent nearly everything he had in a need to obliterate every cell and molecule of those who would take Naruto from him. He sank back into Neji's arms, tired but happy. Struggling to stay awake after expelling all of his chakra across the miles he looked at Naruto's smiling face.

The last thing he saw before his mind shut down for the necessary regeneration was Naruto clutching his seal and the smile fading from his face.

"Naruto!" Neji's eyes widened and the rest of the room crowded around the blond.

"I'm...," he panted, wincing. "I'm okay. It's okay."

Every person in the room was tense, the Anbu with their weapons drawn, as they watched and felt their leader's struggle with the demon.

"What happened? What's wrong?" Neji shouted, reaching for Naruto, Sasuke out cold in his arms.

"I don't know," Naruto answered, breathing in and out through his clenched teeth.

After several very long moments everyone felt the equilibrium return and Naruto's will overcame that of the demon. He meditated for several moments longer, his breathing coming easier. Finally he opened his eyes.

"It's okay, I've got it now," he said.

"What happened?"

"The pull is stronger now."

"Fuck!" Shikamaru growled. He paced. "There must be more than one base." He looked at Naruto. "Smart. That's what I'd do, considering what happened the other two times."

"They're learning from their failures." Naruto looked at Neji meaningfully, then at Sasuke who was just now rousing, albeit with obvious difficulty.

"Damn," he whispered. When Sasuke realized this, it was not going to be pretty.


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My writing started to please me more and more at this point. I'm tempted to post chapters in this time skip more quickly to maintain the emotions. Thoughts?

In the commotion of trying to clear the house of a stunned council and a particularly discordant group of Hunters, Neji lost track of Naruto.

After checking Sasuke's chakra levels to make sure they were recovering and that he would be waking soon, Neji went in search of his other lover. Naruto was sitting cross legged under a tree, his whole body shaking with sobs.

"Naruto…" Neji rushed up and wrapped his arms around the broad shoulders.

"I don't want to die," Naruto sobbed, clutching at Neji's shoulders. Tears filled Neji's eyes and he squeezed Naruto tight.

"I want to see my babies grow up. I want to see our girls with babies of their own." He shuddered and pressed his wet face into Neji's neck.

"I want to watch you and Sasuke get old. I want to watch you playing with grandchildren, teaching them the secrets of Hyuuga and Uchiha."

"Naruto…" Neji whispered, soothing damp blond hair back from Naruto's cheeks.

"I don't want to hurt this family. Sasuke…" Naruto shook with shuddering sobs. "Sasuke is going to be so hurt."

Neji took several deep breaths and forcibly shoved everything, including Naruto's voice into the box in his mind. With one final long exhale, he stood.

"Naruto." He held his hand out. Naruto just stared at the hand blindly for many moments.

"Come," Neji said several times until Naruto, sniffling, took the hand and stood.

Neji led them along a well worn path to the empty building closest to the house. After they were inside, Naruto slumped into a corner and dropped this head on his upturned knees, unable to empty his mind of the desolation lurking there.

Neji let him sit in silence as he moved around the room. Finally Naruto looked up at the scraping and light banging sounds Neji was making. Naruto watched for a while only half aware as Neji righted chairs and brought order to the chaos in the room.

Finally Naruto asked, "What are you doing?"

"A couple of months ago, I discovered that the boys have been using this building as a…headquarters of sorts." He smiled and brought over an armload of makeshift weapons fashioned from sticks and discarded household items.

Naruto swiped at the wetness on his face and smiled in return, the antics of his children never failing to soothe his soul. As he studied the crudely constructed toys, Neji walked over to a tall cabinet and reached for something on top. He returned to Naruto with a book.

"I had thought one day I'd put this on that wall over there." He opened the book to a dog-eared page and turned it to Naruto.

"It's called a castle. And they are called knights," he said pointing to sword carrying men wrapped in metal. "I don't want to discourage the use of imagination, but thought this might actually spark some more."

Naruto rubbed his fingers over the picture and grinned. "Dumb outfits. How the hell do you climb a tree in that getup?"

Neji pressed a brush into Naruto's hand.

"What do you think? That wall?"

Naruto studied the page, then the wall, then the page again. He nodded and stood. Half an hour later he had a rough placement of the castle, three knights and one horse, along with some trees and a handful of bushes.

Naruto had been lost in brush strokes and images of children fighting imaginary battles, when he heard the door open.

Sasuke…It all crashed back around him and the brush fell from his fingers. Terrified, his breath wedged in his chest as he turned toward the door. Neji moved to his side and gripped his hand.

Was Sasuke going to bail on him again? While some part of Naruto actually thought that might be best, another part knew that his heart would shrivel and die. He made himself look into Sasuke's face, search his eyes for the pronouncement.

"Naruto." Sasuke walked over and pulled Naruto into his arms. Naruto's knees almost gave out as relief swept through him. He clung to Sasuke's shoulders, wrapped in the shelter of the arms of his family.

"I'll never leave you alone again, I promise. I'm sorry. Don't be afraid. I've got you, we've got you."

+++

"What do I do?" Sasuke asked. Without interruption, he'd gone right back and started searching for another base. After six days of searching interspersed with catnaps, Sasuke announced to the crowd in his garden that he'd found another base.

The air was thick as everyone considered what happened last time.

"Shikamaru, what do you think?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru paced for a moment. "You are managing the seal for now?"

"Yes."

"Then let's send a team. Rather than just blow it up, let's have a look."

Everyone digested this and watched Naruto. Finally Naruto nodded.

"Agreed." He donned his Hokage persona and looked at Shikamaru. "I know it's not your job as councilor, and I'll support you completely if you decline, but I'd like you to lead the team. I want you in charge of data gathering. I want you to make the call on what course of action is taken once the team arrives. If you agree, take teams three, six and twelve."

Shikamaru nodded. "Of course."

"I…" Sasuke started.

"I need you here." Naruto cut off Sasuke's request to go.

Sasuke looked ready to debate for only one second, then deflated and dropped his head. Then he lifted it. "I could leave clones."

Naruto was torn. He understood Sasuke's burning desire to act, to destroy the threat to his family. But he also felt the weight of his numbered days and didn't want to be separated for even a day, much less the weeks this mission could take.

Then he decided that this wasn't about him and his needs. The needs of those left behind were the priority. If this went badly, he wanted to leave no regrets, no what-ifs or if-onlys.

Finally he nodded. "I'll leave it up to you and Shikamaru."

Sasuke looked at Shikamaru, who shrugged. "Your skills are always welcome."

"Then it's settled, I'm going." He turned to the house, but Naruto interrupted.

"Tonight." He sighed. "You can leave tonight. Rest today."

Sasuke looked at Naruto and understood. This mission could bring anything and Naruto wanted a few hours together in case of the worst. Of course, he would never let the worst happen, and he would spend the day reassuring Naruto that all would be well.

When Shikamaru said, "Be at the gate at dusk," Sasuke nodded and turned to the house, pulling at his shirt as he walked.

Naruto found him in the shower, the unofficial meeting place when one man wanted to speak with another alone.

As soon as Naruto stepped under the spray, Sasuke was all over him. In between devouring kisses, he talked. "It will be okay. It will be all over after this and we can spend the rest of our lives in peace. I will never, ever let anything happen to you or to me, to any of us."

Naruto wanted to believe it, but he'd had years and years of planning for just the opposite. However, he'd also had years and years of practice wearing a mask that showed the hope and optimism that made people more comfortable, happier. He was good at it; indeed the only person in the world who could see through it was his beloved Neji. Not even Sasuke would know. Of course the illusion was helped by the fact that Sasuke refused to see anything else.

+++

Just before dusk, Sasuke cried out Naruto's name one last time and collapsed on shaky arms onto the broad chest. In spite of the fact that it was his fifth ejaculation of the day, his body was still humming with the need to move. He kissed Naruto one more time and then got to his feet, grabbing first his pants, then this traveling pack.

Neji came into the room with a supply of rations and looked through Sasuke's weapons pouch. "You will stay safe." It wasn't a request.

"Of course," he grinned. "I'll put everything in order on this front and then we can put our resources toward getting rid of the demon once and for all."

Neji watched Sasuke and was tempted to let himself feel the shifting of the universe under that titanium will. He sighed inwardly and hoped that fate and fortune smiled on their family once more, allowing Sasuke to continue to believe he had some role in life's outcomes.

Sasuke's spirits continued to run high as, at the gate he made two clones and infused them with consciousness and instructions. He smirked at Naruto and told him not to have too much fun with two Sasuke's. Then his face filled with fierce determination and he took off, leaving the remainder of the squad to catch up.

+++

Four days later the team stood at the edge of a large clearing and studied a tiny, ramshackle structure in the center.

They frowned as Sasuke lifted his hand from the ground and said, "I only sense one human." He stood. "Low level of chakra. Fairly malevolent." He turned to Shikamaru. "I do feel the disturbance that's pulling on the demon, although it's not terribly strong."

The team stood alert and waited as Shikamaru muttered to himself and Sasuke concentrated on the wind and the earth, trying to glean some information from the environment.

Finally Shikamaru paused. "Anything?" When Sasuke shook his head, he continued, "I guess there is no help for it but to take a look." He pointed at Sasuke. "Let's send in a clone. Just enough chakra to keep it in existence. Avoid the human for now."

Sasuke nodded and five minutes later, a Sasuke twin was an arm's length from the front door. The team watched as the clone opened the door and moved cautiously over the threshold. Just as he disappeared into the darkness, hair stood up on their arms as high pitched laughter filled the air around them.

A microsecond later, the entire compound exploded.

Several of the team were on their toes, however and within seconds, were dragging a laughing, black clad ninja toward the group. But before they got within fifty feet, Sasuke felt the rise in chakra and his eyes widened. Quicker than thought, he threw a shield around those closest to him and just missed being blown to bits by a second explosion.

When the smoke cleared, he realized that the enemy ninja had blown himself up in a suicide move, taking nearly half the Leaf team with him.

The fact that this was a trap, that they were expected, hit him and he turned to Shikamaru who had a stunned look on his face.

Then something even more alarming hit him. One of his clones from home had just been destroyed.

"Naruto!" The information from the clone showed an unexpected flair of demon chakra that incinerated a clone with its hand on Naruto's seal. The last image was of Naruto shooting up out of bed, crying out in alarm."

"What is it?" Shikamaru was shaking him. "What about Naruto?"

"My clone…" Sasuke shook his head, fear filled his face. "It's gone. The demon…"

"What about the demon?" Shikamaru was yelling. "Sasuke! What the fuck is going on?"

"I have to go!" Sasuke tried to pull free, but Shikamaru tackled him to the ground.

Sasuke took a deep breath. "One of my clones was just dispersed. A flash of demon chakra…" He pushed Shikamaru off. "That's all I know." His voice was rising. "I have to go!"

He was realizing that the other clone would only be able to stay as long as he himself was able to stay awake and that they were four days from home. Naruto was in trouble.

Shikamaru had obviously realized the same thing. He pulled Sasuke to his feet and shoved him in the direction of home. "Go!"

Sasuke was driven to near madness by his fear. Thirty six hours into his flight toward home, his other clone dispersed in agony as it tapped into demon fire while trying to help Naruto contain the raging fox's chakra.

Another thirty six hours and Sasuke was home. He could feel the difference as soon as he reached the gates. There seemed to be a hush over the whole village. And the chakra of both Naruto and the demon could be felt fluctuating madly, each battling for dominance.

He raced across the threshold of his home and tore through the rooms until he found his family in the back yard.

It was a surreal scene. The children were laughing and playing near the koi pond and Naruto was sitting nearby, leaning back onto Neji, who had his arms around him. As he looked at the pair, Neji kept his eyes averted, but Naruto pushed to his feet, a wide smile on his face.

"Hey, bastard! You're back!" He strode to Sasuke and pulled him into a hug.

He was soaked. His body was burning up and sweat saturated his clothing. Sasuke pulled back and his heart almost stopped. Naruto's skin was beet red and blisters could be seen on his face and neck.

"Naruto…"

"Is the team back? Tell me about the mission." The happy smile never left his face.

"What happened to my clones?"

"Oh, sorry." Naruto rubbed the back of his neck. "The demon's being a little bitch. Are you okay?"

"It was a trap. We lost half the team."

Naruto's face fell. "Shikamaru?"

"He's okay. They'll be here soon." Sasuke reached up to Naruto's cheek. "Naruto?"

Now that the smile had left his face, Naruto seemed unable to retrieve it. He tried, but the attempts were wobbly and he finally gave up.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke."

"No! Shut up." Neji had finally joined them, and Sasuke could see that his eyes were red and swollen, as though he'd been crying. Sasuke also noticed that his hands were wrapped in white gauze. He picked one up and Neji winced.

"I'm going in," Sasuke said firmly. "We should have done this years ago." Sasuke pulled Naruto by the hand toward the house.

Naruto started to resist then relented and followed. It would take nearly everything he had to keep Sasuke safe inside his mind, but maybe Sasuke needed to see this. He would know that he had exhausted all his options, and he would also know that Naruto had tried his best to fight this to the very end. And, who knew? Maybe the Sharingan was the answer.

"Neji, I really don't know what's going to happen when he goes in. Be ready to pull him out?" Neji nodded.

"No." Sasuke slashed his hand. "I can do this if you leave me alone."

"I won't let you go in unless you agree." Then Naruto's voice softened. "He won't pull you out unless it becomes critical, okay?"

Sasuke studied Naruto for a moment and as he watched an open sore ooze below his ear, he felt every ticking second. "Fine. Lie down."

When Naruto was on his back in bed and Sasuke was in position over him, Neji placed his hand over the seal. Neji knew that Naruto was about tapped out trying to contain the demon and didn't know how he was going to find enough to keep Sasuke safe, too.

"Neji, your hands…" Naruto smiled gently and pushed his hand away. Neji pulled his hand free and replaced it on the seal. Naruto sighed, and again, relented. He would allow no regrets if he could help it. Burns would heal. Guilt would not.

"Just don't let anything distract you from Sasuke's status." Neji nodded and pulled on every bit of strength inside of him.

Taking just a moment to gather is own resources, Naruto breathed deep and then let the path clear for Sasuke to enter.

Sasuke found himself in hell. The heat was sweltering and the visualization of the demon's growing influence was a red haze with streamers of fire shooting randomly across the landscape of Naruto's mind. The blond was in agony. His body was being cooked alive.

"Fuck!" Then rage filled him at the thought of anything trying to take his lover away from him, at the thought of anything trying to hurt his beloved Naruto. He narrowed his gaze and looked for the demon.

"Where are you, you fucking rodent?"

Deep laughter filled the area. "Mmm. An Uchiha? How delightful. Are you here for dinner?"

"I'm here to send you to hell once and for all."

The laughter reverberated around him again. Then a flash of orange swirled around him and a second later, the demon was crouched before him, his feline face wearing a terrible, evil grin.

The demon was outside the cell, but was wrapped in sunshine colored strands that anchored him to the bars and the seal. Naruto's chakra was the only thing keeping the demon at bay and it was killing him.

Sasuke grabbed the fox's maw with both hands and, ignoring the heat burning him, he activated the Sharingan and growled, "Kyuubi!"

The demon looked into Sasuke's eyes and froze. "Gotcha!"

Then Sasuke realized, 'now what?' His first instinct was to bring up Chidori and blast the creature to pieces, but knew that would kill Naruto instantly.

So he stared at the demon and his mind raced. Not many options came to mind and those that did were discarded just as quickly. He wondered if he had Mangekyu if that would give him options. Of course the only way for him to gain that was to kill Naruto outright.

And then the hellish heat caused his eyes to burn and tears blurred his vision. The demon laughed again and pulled away.

"Stupid Uchihas. You believed that fairy tale spun by Madara?" The fox slithered around Sasuke's visceral body again. "Sharingan, indeed."

Sasuke was stunned. Orochimaru had been a fool. The Sharingan was almost useless against the demon. It only worked while staring directly into the fox's eyes. If the contact was broken for even a second, the effect was lost. He couldn't even blink without losing control. And what control? The demon had been held immobile, but Sasuke knew that he hadn't had any actual control over Kyuubi. He couldn't manipulate him or even hurt him.

Then he found himself sitting on the floor of the bedroom, pain covering every inch of his flesh.

"Are you alright?" Naruto sat up.

Sasuke looked at Neji who had rushed to his side. "It wasn't me," Neji said.

"The demon threw me out," he whispered and stared at the floor in shock. "I don't know what to do," he continued, his tone disbelieving.

He scrambled up and onto the bed, grabbing Naruto by the shoulders his gaze wild. "You're the greatest ninja in the world. Tell me what to do. Just tell me and I'll do it." He pulled Neji onto the bed beside them. "We'll do it. We'll do anything. Just tell us."

"Sasuke, don't you think if I knew the answer, I would have told you years ago. I would have told you the day you came back. Or the day Neji came into our lives. I would have told you the day my children were born." A sob escaped him. "I would have told you…"

Sasuke got up and paced frantically. "This is unacceptable. I won't have it." He felt completely out of control and it was eating him from the inside. Then he grasped onto something that he could control.

"You haven't slept. I can do that for you." He returned to the bed. "You'll feel better if you sleep, better able to control the demon. And…and you can heal." His breathing was erratic as he pushed Neji toward the door. "Keep the children quiet."

At this point, Naruto was ready to give Sasuke anything he wanted. The brunette would have to live with his actions and inactions afterward. Sleeping might only prolong this, might only give Naruto a few extra hours, but it would give Sasuke more. It would give him the comfort of knowing he did everything within his power to change the outcome.

Sasuke sat cross legged at Naruto's side. "Is this what happened to Neji's hands?"

Naruto nodded. "After your second clone dispersed." He smiled. "He wouldn't take 'no' for an answer."

"Nor will I. Now show me how strong it is."

Naruto, very slowly eased back his control, watching his lover carefully, until Sasuke was holding the demon alone.

Sasuke revealed little about how difficult and painful it was to hold the demon in; only the sweat beading on his brow and his measured breaths giving any indication.

"Sleep for a while. When Shikamaru gets back, we'll meet and figure out what happened and how to proceed from here."

Naruto stroked Sasuke's cheek with the tips of his fingers and nodded. Then he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't give up. There are still 6 chapters left.
> 
> Added something that I had taken out last time I posted it. Was hesitant to add humor at the place that I did. Seemed ok this time.

When Naruto woke, his bedroom was full of people. Tsunade was there, her glowing hand hovering over his body. Neji was there, his arm around Sasuke. Shikamaru, who looked like shit, had finally returned and come straight to their house, bringing several of his team with him. Hinata was there, her hands over Sasuke's helping him restrain the demon.

"Can you tell how much stronger the pull is? An estimated percentage?" Shikamaru asked.

"After we blew up the first base, I would have estimated the increase at more than five but less than ten percent," Neji said. "This time the increase was greater. I would say more than fifteen percent, but less than twenty."

Shikamaru bowed his head and rubbed his chin in thought. After several minutes, his head shot up. "Damn it!" Then he grabbed his head in both hands, shock filling his face. "How could I be so stupid?"

"What it is?" Sasuke asked, straightening.

"There are four bases," he said.

"How do you know that?"

"The percentages," the genius answered. "There may be five, but if your estimates on the pull are close, I doubt it. I think there are four."

Everyone just looked at him. "It's like…" He paced for a moment trying to think of a way to explain. Then he grabbed Tsunade and stood her in the center of the room. Next he positioned four of the Anbu in a circle around her.

"Pretend that each of the Anbu is an enemy base. Imagine that each has a string around her waist and is pulling with the same force. Each Anbu is one fourth of the total pull on her body."

He walked around the group. "Because it is spread around her, and each is only one fourth, she can feel it but it doesn't move her." Then he grabbed one of the Anbu and moved him off to the side, making an exploding noise with his mouth.

"We blew one of the bases up and the pull increased by more than five, but less than ten percent." He waved to the remaining three Anbu. "If they get to absorb his pulling power," he pointed to the ejected Anbu, "she will feel the pull even more, because of the vectors and the redistribution of the 100 percent."

"That's why you think four," Sasuke interrupted. "After the base blew up three days ago, the pull increased more than fifteen percent, but less than twenty. It went from thirds to halves."

Shikamaru nodded and shoved another Anbu off to the side. Everyone in the room visualized Tsunade being pulled by the remaining two Anbu and then what would happen if that number were reduced to one.

If the redistribution of the chakra pull to two bases was doing this to Naruto, reducing that number down to one would yank the demon right out of him and kill him outright.

"Hell, they're hoping that we'll find their bases, one at a time, and blow them up. It works to their advantage." Shikamaru rubbed his forehead. "That explains what we found the other day."

"We have to stop," Neji said.

"Or get the last two bases at the exact same time," Sasuke said.

"We don't know where even one is, much less both of them," Naruto added. Then he decided the time had come to lay it all out there. "How long do you think we have, Grandma?"

She looked at him, then closed her eyes. "How long do you think we have, Naruto?"

He sighed, then braced himself. "Two or three days."

"That would be my guess as well," she said into the stunned silence.

The next day Sasuke was a maniac. He raced around the village talking with everyone he thought might have the slightest information on how to combat the demon. At every turn he was informed that they had already shared everything they knew with Shikamaru.

At the end of the first day, he called a meeting in his kitchen with Shikamaru, Lee, Neji and Naruto.

"I need to know everything you know about the demon," he said to Shikamaru.

"Sasuke, he's been studying this for years. He's even traveled abroad on leads from the toads. He's been working on this ever since Jiraiya died," Naruto said quietly, his body slumped, his face pinched.

"Just start talking. We're wasting time."

Shikamaru sighed tiredly and Naruto came to his rescue.

"There are some basic facts," he said. "There's a consensus that the only way to relieve me of the demon is to let Kyuubi out, and if that doesn't backfire," Naruto rolled his eyes, "put it in someone else."

"Then why can't we put it in some death row inmate and be done with it?"

"First, assuming I live through the extraction, and that Konoha isn't a pile of rubble within minutes, and that we could even recreate the seal," he ticked on his fingers, "there has to be a sacrifice. My father had to die to accomplish this," Naruto said across the table.

"Second, the host has to be a child." Naruto looked pointedly at Sasuke. "A prepubescent child."

Sasuke opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, wishing he could, but unwilling to make the next obvious suggestion. Even under these conditions, he couldn't suggest doing this to another child.

In the silence during which they let Sasuke digest this piece of information, they heard a dripping sound. They all turned in the direction of the noise and watched in horror as blood ran from Naruto's nose in a slow stream to drip onto the tabletop.

He realized everyone was looking at him and then saw the pool spreading on the table. His hand flew to his face to cover the blood and he said, "You don't need me for this." Then he got up and left the room, Neji right behind him.

In the bathroom, Naruto leaned against the door jamb his head tilted back and a rag held to his nose. He coughed as blood ran down his throat. After several moments he looked at Neji. Tears were gathering in his eyes and his chin quivered.

"Is it too much to ask to be able to go with some fucking dignity?"

Neji stepped forward and held Naruto's head in both hands. "No one in this world sees anything but dignity when they look at you."

"It's just going to get worse from here on out," Naruto said. "Do you think we could do the rest of this in private?"

"I'll speak with Sasuke," Neji said. "He needs to do what he's doing, but he'll need to understand that he must do it on his own."

Then they heard a loud crash from the kitchen. When they got there, they found the table overturned across the room, and Sasuke sitting on Shikamaru's chest, a kunai at his throat.

"Are you telling me to put the demon in one of my children?" Spit flew from Sasuke's mouth as he yelled into Shikamaru's face.

"Sasuke!" Naruto leapt across the room and pulled Sasuke off their councilor. "What the hell?"

Shikamaru got to his feet. "I told him that there are only five children in the village with enough chakra to qualify them as hosts."

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. "Shikamaru and I have already had this discussion. He isn't telling you to put the demon into our children. He's telling you the facts."

Naruto stepped in front of Sasuke and repeated, "The facts. Shikamaru spent years looking into a way to eliminate the demon. Jiraiya spent half his life. He wanted it gone as much as anyone. He lost someone he loved to the demon; my father." Naruto's voice softened. "That's why traveling with him was such a mixed bag. He cared about me, but he also knew there was only one answer to my demon problem."

Naruto took the kunai from Sasuke's hand and held it up to his face. "This. This is the only answer."

Sasuke stared at the kunai for several moments, grief on his face and then he shoved Shikamaru and then Lee out of his way and raced out of the house.

An hour later he slammed the door to Tsunade's apartment open and found her sitting at her kitchen table. He came to stand in front of her and dropped to his knees.

"Please help me," he cried. "You're a Sannin. And a doctor. You've studied seals and medicine and the demon." He dropped his head to her knees and sobbed. "Please…"

She caressed his hair for several moments until he looked up, hell in his eyes.

"This is all I've got," she said and reached for the bottle that he'd missed sitting on her table. She pressed it into his hands and patted his shoulder awkwardly; the half bottle she'd already consumed making her clumsy.

He held the bottle and stared at it. Finally he pushed it back into her hands and stood. His head hanging, his whole body the picture of defeat, he walked out of her apartment without a word.

The next day, while Sasuke was frantically ransacking the Uchiha library, Neji and Naruto sat outside watching the children much as they had the other day, Naruto leaning against Neji's chest. His knees were up and the baby was propped in the cradle made by that position. He was piled on a thick layer of blankets to protect him from the heat of Naruto's body.

Naruto had tried to hold him close earlier and the baby had thrashed and fussed, then started to wail at the discomfort. After thrusting the baby at Neji, Naruto had dropped to his knees and sobbed over not being able to hold his son one last time.

Neji had gathered a stack of blankets and made a nest in the crook of Naruto's hips and now the baby was swatting at Naruto's fingers in delight.

"It's going to be rough around here for a while," Naruto finally said. "Have patience with him."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"I almost feel like the lucky one."

Neji nodded. "Yes. He and I have both been left behind. We would gladly trade places with you."

"This time, you'll have each other. And now a family."

"That will make all the difference."

"I'm so glad. I want you both to be happy again." Naruto squeezed Neji's hand. "I love you both so much." He wrapped a wild blond curl around the tip of his finger. "I love all of you so much."

That night, Sasuke sat next to Naruto after urging him to get some rest. The bed was covered in towels as blood would sporadically stream from Naruto's mouth, nose, eyes and ears as smaller blood vessels would burst from the stress on his body.

And a few hours earlier they found Naruto sitting in a small pool of blood that seeped from his penis and rectum. Larger and larger internal organs were failing and Naruto had stopped eating and drinking the day before.

Still he smiled and chatted with Sasuke, keeping the topics to the antics of the children or the weather. And when Sasuke told him to try to sleep, he just nodded and went willingly to lie down. He didn't really think he'd be able to sleep, because there wasn't a part of him that wasn't screaming in agony, but he could lie with his eyes closed for a while if it would keep Sasuke with him for a few hours. This time, he knew, would be the last.

Naruto closed his eyes and tried to rest, hoping to prolong his life by every minute he could. After several shallow breaths he found his mind turning inward of its own accord.

Kyuubi wanted to talk to him.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"You said my name."

"I find you worthy."

Naruto's pain disappeared. "Did I die?"

"Not yet. It is a small favor so that I may speak to you. Before we see what lies beyond."

"Thanks. Hey, for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

"Indeed?"

"Well, yeah. If I had to spend twenty five years in a windowless prison…"

"I have lived for eons; this has been but a second. As for windowless; I have enjoyed a vastly entertaining life through your eyes."

Naruto grinned.

"You could have ruled the world," Kyuubi said.

"I can't keep my sock drawer organized. What would I do with the world?"

The demon was quiet, waiting.

"Anyway, he loved these people enough to die for them. He…would have been disappointed in me."

"Your honor and integrity are equaled only by his. He would have been proud of you."

Naruto looked at his visceral feet.

"For that, I have a gift for you."

"Really? What?

"A look into the future."

Naruto's face fell. "Do I want to see it?"

"I only understand humans to a point, but I think you'll be pleased."

Naruto's mind suddenly filled with a kaleidoscope of images.

++

Sasuke stood in an unfamiliar hallway. A tall, broad shouldered blond man came to stand before him. He bowed to Sasuke and placed a small bundle in his arms.

"Father, I would like your permission to name him Naruto."

++

Sasuke was laughing so hard he could hardly walk.

"That is the clearest..." he wheezed for a moment, "example of the lunatics," he swiped his eyes, "running the asylum I have ever..." he threw his arm over Neji's shoulder and couldn't continue.

Neji just shook his head and walked beside him up the porch steps to their home.

Naruto laughed as, in his mind's eye, he saw the previous hour of his lovers' afternoon.

Neji, Sasuke, Shikamaru and, Shikaku, Shikamaru's father sat around a tiny table, their knees jammed under their chins. All four men had dark haired girls, in a stair-step range of ages, hovering behind them, twisting ribbons and flowers into their hair. Neji had a sparkling crown perched on top of his head.

"Son," Shikaku, who was absently holding a handful of hairpins, said, "We really need to talk about this."

"Yes, Father," Shikamaru said. "Tea?"

"What? Oh. Yes." Shikamaru placed a miniature pink cup in front of his father, picked up an equally diminutive pink tea pot and poured a generous helping of steaming...nothing...into the cup. He looked at Neji and Sasuke. "Tea?"

Neji just stared, his expression inscrutable. Two tiny girls behind him were humming quietly, focused on the braids they were pinning in loops by his ears, but Sasuke, his eyes watering in mirth, bit his cheek and waved his hand. "Absolutely."

Shikamaru nodded and poured another serving of air into his cup.

Then he turned back to his father. "Sugar?" He placed a spoon in a dainty, and empty, sugar bowl.

"Yes, please," Shikaku nodded distractedly. "Just one."

Sasuke chewed on his cheek as Shikamaru placed one spoon of nothing in his father's cup.

"Anyway, son…first of all, congratulations on the birth of the twins today. But seriously, while I appreciate your continued efforts to try to have a boy, I really wonder if you and Hinata even have it in you."

Shikamaru's head dropped.

"Nine girls is really just..." his father continued in a shaky voice.

"I know," Shikamaru sighed. Then he picked up an empty plate. "Cookie?"

"Just one," Shikaku said. "Gotta watch it, you know," he continued, patting his midsection. "I'm not as active as I used to be." And then gingerly poked and then picked the most appetizing bit of nothing on the plate.

"I really think you should speak with Tsunade and just appreciate..." He stopped and leaned toward his son. "Shikamaru, can you imagine TEN or, god forbid, ELEVEN daughters?"

The plate fell out of Shikamaru's limp fingers.

Later, as Sasuke and Neji entered their own kitchen, Sasuke had finally gotten his laughter under control. They found a strapping, teenage boy with lilac-eyes and long, silky, jet black hair leaning against the counter.

Sasuke fell over Neji's shoulder in gales of laughter again as the boy straightened and put his hands on his hips. "Hey, she said that was MY tiara."

In the delighted, happy laughter, Naruto could feel the peace and happiness that lived in his family's hearts Life went on and joy returned.

++

"Here it comes." There was a hush over the desert as a large crowd stood under the stars, awaiting the coming of the new year.

A sea of people from every country on earth was gathered around a gigantic spiky mound of iridescent crystals shooting out of the ground in a glittering display.

Sasuke, stooped and grayed, raised a hand and closed his eyes. "Five, four, three, two, one," he said, then opened his eyes.

Cheers erupted from the throng as another glassy spike pierced the earth and grew skyward, twenty feet into the air. Naruto knew, from the information Kyuubi placed in his head, that two dozen sages, Uchiha and Uzumaki, stationed around the globe, had sent their chakra in a precisely timed push, through the earth to this location. Here they merged into one, rearranging molecules and sprouting from the land itself, adding to this prismatic collection of crystals, this monument in the no man's land between countries.

"One hundred spikes. One hundred years of peace."

++

"Have you always known the future?"

"Futures are always changing. Each time paths cross or converge, futures change."

"So mine changed when I met Sasuke?"

"It is interesting. As much as I wished differently, yours and mine have never changed. Your path, your dedication to your path has never wavered. You love him, all of them, buy never enough to sacrifice the world. So his future changed the day you two met, but yours did not. So, too, did Hyuuga, Tsunade, Jiraiya and many others. Some for good, some for ill. The future I just showed you is because they now walk your path.

"But this day, for you, for me, never changed."

"Thank you for not telling me until now. And I am sorry we have to die." Naruto looked hopeful. "Do you know what comes after death?"

"No. To my knowledge, your friend, the other vessel, is the only creature who has returned from the dead. For me, it is still an exciting new adventure."

++

Sasuke sat next to Naruto and watched his chest rise and fall. A kind of madness was stealing over him.

His whole life he'd believed that breaths were good things. They brought life as they filled lungs, fed the brain, sped blood through veins. They brought scents such as a favorite food, the scent of a lover's arousal, the distinct smells carried by each of his children.

But as he listened to Naruto and the labor of each inhale and exhale, he realized that they actually comprised a clock. A person had so many breaths allotted in life and when that number was used up, life ended. Each breath was a tick that counted down to the end.

He thought that his and Naruto's lives were so intertwined that perhaps their breaths, their clocks depended on each other; that Naruto was perhaps destined to leave on a given breath in Sasuke's life. He considered this and then thought that he should stop breathing. If he could hold off that one breath, he could keep Naruto here longer.

Then it became clear; breaths were actually the enemy. Tilting his head, he picked up another pillow and held it in his lap. He cocked his head and watched Naruto's labor to keep breathing and how his exhales expelled sprays of blood from his mouth and nose. Yes. Each breath was taking Naruto farther and farther away. And they were causing him agony. He just needed to stop them.

Then Naruto opened his eyes. He studied Sasuke and the pillow inches from his face and he smiled.

"We can't do it that way." Naruto said gently. "Don't worry, I've got it covered."

He held his hand out and Sasuke pulled him to a sitting position.

"Hey, bastard." Naruto squeezed Sasuke's hand. "I'm about done here." Sasuke's eyes closed and his face contorted in anguish. "Just got enough left to do the deed."

"I want you to listen to me." Naruto continued. His face was serene and it was easy for Sasuke to pretend that Naruto wasn't in agony. "I would never leave if I could stop it. Please tell me you believe that. That I'm not some kind of martyr."

Tears just dripped from Sasuke's chin.

"You gave me everything." Sasuke's voice quavered. "I gave you nothing."

"Bastard," Naruto leaned forward, "you gave me a life. You gave me love; so much love. And a family." He smiled. "Me, the village idiot with a preference for guys., well, just you. I have the brightest, strongest, most talented family in the whole world. They are healthy and happy and I feel like my life actually had a purpose besides demon vessel."

Naruto's chin quivered. "You've given me a legacy that has nothing to do with death or war or destruction. Just life and love. Stuff a kid living in the gutters eating from garbage cans should never have even imagined.

"I know you don't want this and can't imagine being happy again. But Neji is so in love with you." Naruto smiled.

"You're my one and only." Sasuke said. "I can't live without you."

"A few years ago, I would have worried about that very thing, but not anymore. What we have is pretty amazing. But what Neji and the kids offer is pretty damn good, too. I know you love him and I'm glad. It was the one cloud in my life; worrying about leaving you alone again."

"You don't deserve this."

Naruto chuckled. "Deserve? What are any of us promised in this life? Not a damned thing. But look what I got anyway." He cocked his head and said, "You could look at this the way I am. We all want to make a difference. I get to make the biggest difference of all. Twice." He thought about the images Kyuubi had shown him. "We'll buy a lifetime of peace today for our children."

Naruto kissed Sasuke. "Make sure the kids know that, okay? That I mattered.

"Now don't be so sad. Just be patient." Naruto patted his leg. "I have it from a reliable source that we'll be together again some day."

Neji came into the room then and helped Naruto out of bed. "Can you get the kids together on the porch? The council will be here in a little while."

Even though the children were young, the twins still only seven, this was the talk Naruto dreaded the most. He'd almost chickened out and snuck off without doing it. He didn't want to break down in front of the children, didn't want them to feel his fear and sadness. Finally, though, he remembered his promise to himself about leaving others with regrets and found the resolve he needed.

"You've all heard of Kyuubi, right?"

"The monster?"

"The demon?"

"The bad dog that ate grandpa?"

"Yes. Well, he's been in a cage for a long time, but he's trying to get out. He and I have been in a fight for a while now."

"Is that why you keep getting hurt?" Neji's son touched a blister on Naruto's forehead.

"Yes."

"I'm scared."

"Is he going to get out?"

"No. But today he is going to try to make his big breakout." Naruto grinned. "I'm going to have to go kick his ass."

Keiko giggled and covered her mouth at papa using a bad word. A couple of the boys gave fierce little shouts, "Yeah!"

"Papa's so brave."

"But I won't be able to come back after I'm finished." Naruto dug his fingernails into his palms to keep himself steady.

"Why not?"

"How come?"

"It's not a place you can come back from." Naruto shrugged.

"Well, can we come and see you?"

"Hm. You know, I don't know. Maybe someday you can come and see me."

"Daddy, Father? Can we go visit papa some day?"

Neji squeezed the children on his lap. Sasuke sat slumped, staring blindly at the dirt under his feet.

"So, before I go open a box of whoop-ass on that demon," the kids giggled again, "I want to make sure you know that I…" Naruto's eyes burned and his throat ached as he struggled not to cry in front of his children.

"No father has ever loved his children more than Papa loves you," Neji said.

He leaned forward and rested his chin on Naruto's shoulder. "I will tell them of your love every day for the rest of my life. And when they are older, I will see that they know your story. You have my promise."

Jut then Shikamaru, Lee, Hinata and Hiashi walked up to the porch. Naruto picked up a bundle that had been sitting next to him and stood. He walked down to stand on the last porch step and turned to his family, his Hokage persona in place.

"Sasuke, they will come. When they get here, this is yours. I know you can keep them from even reaching the gates. Keep your head in the game. Don't let this keep you from protecting our babies and their home.

"Neji, if you will accept, I'd like to name you Shichidaime Hokage." He held out the bundle in his arms to Neji. It was the Hokage robes.

"But, he's the strongest ninja…now…" Neji dropped his head and muttered, "will…be."

"He doesn't want the job. Besides, with his temper the first act of business would have to be building a bigger prison." Naruto grin looked more like a wince. Neji took the pile and Naruto continued.

"Shika and Lee have been the best council this village has ever had. They would step down if you preferred another council, but I recommend them."

There were several moments of silence, as no one seemed to know what else to say.

"Well…" Naruto turned toward the late afternoon sun. He couldn't look at Sasuke who looked more fragile than the thistle down swirling in the breeze at their feet.

He took his tiny son from Neji's arms and just looked at his peaceful face for several moments. Then he handed the baby back, stepped forward jerkily and grabbed first Sasuke's face for a fierce kiss, then Neji's. Then he turned and poofed away, leaving the entourage to follow.

When the party arrived in the clearing on the far side of the Forest of Death, the Hunters were already there, thronged around the perimeter. They smelled like arousal and Naruto shot Shikamaru a meaningful look.

"Konoha really doesn't need them after today." He shook his head and stepped into the center of the clearing.

"Everyone listen up. I know we've gone over this a million times, but we're going over it once more. There is zero room for mistakes. The well being of my home and my family are at stake and I won't accept anything but perfection."

The Hunters grunted and fidgeted. Naruto slapped his forehead. "I can't believe I'm putting the fate of the world in _their_ hands." He winked at Hinata.

"Anyway, once more. They," he thumbed in the direction of the smelly, black clad figures, "make the cut. And for the hundredth time," he gave them a stern look, "hacking me to bits is not part of the plan."

He straightened. "Then what?"

Hinata jumped forward. "The demon will try to make a break for the seal, seeking a route through whatever organs still contain life. Using Byakugan and Gentle Fist, I will stop his progress until all routes are closed."

"Right. I have no idea how fast he'll be." He grinned at her. "I know you'll be faster."

He looked toward the sky. "Then what?"

"Incineration." Shikamaru answered unenthusiastically, never taking his eyes off a nearby shrub.

"Shika, do you think this will work? Are we forgetting anything?"

Shikamaru's jaw clenched, the bush seeming to have his entire attention. He shook his head. "It'll be fine."

"Hiashi-san, I am grateful that you're here."

"I am honored that you wish me here, but my presence is unnecessary. Hinata will not need me."

"Well then..." Naruto sighed and everyone shifted to their positions except Hinata, who was standing in front of him. She was staring at his face as if she wanted to say something.

"Hinata?"

Then she reached up and pressed her lips to his and held them there while he raised his eyebrows.

Humor filled him. He was beyond telling people what he thought was best for them. If she wanted this, he thought, what the hell. As distractions went, it was pretty good.

He wrapped one arm around her and, grabbing one ass cheek, hauled her body up to his, then he shoved his tongue down her throat. He tilted his head and ravaged her mouth for a good twenty seconds and then set her back, his eyes twinkling.

He laughed as, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Lee's mouth hanging open. She was grinning and he held her hands in his.

"Now no more of that and that's an order. You're going to corrupt our councilors."

They looked into each other's eyes, each wearing big shit eating grins. Hers never left her face until her cheeks were splattered with his blood.

For the next two minutes, she was a vision of focus and grace as she moved like lightening to contain the demon. Then she turned and walked out of the clearing alone.

Thirty minutes later, the sun set over Konoha. Kyuubi no Kitsune and Uzumaki Naruto were pages in history.


	34. Chapter 34

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wonder if posting 3 chapters confuses anyone...
> 
> Not quite the time skip yet, but seems like an ok place to stop till next week.

Three days later, patrols sounded an alarm. They had come, as Naruto said they would.

Sasuke hadn't gotten out of bed for almost the whole of those three days, but suddenly, as sirens echoed around Konoha, an unholy rage filled him. The entire village was subject to his agony as his chakra flared wildly. He raced around the house gathering every weapon he could carry and flew to the uppermost rampart near the invading ninja.

"They are mine. No one is to interfere," he growled at Neji and the contingent draped over every surface of the gates and ramparts.

"We are here for our demon," a disembodied voice boomed. "We know you are hiding it and we demand that you give it to us."

Sasuke's Sharingan flared and the tomoes spun wildly in his eyes. He roared and dove off the upper rampart to the ground in front of the small army of sixty or so shabbily clad ninja.

He held one arm out until it glowed and then bent and slammed his palm to the ground. Earth rose and formed a giant bowl, in the center of which was the enemy. No one was escaping his wrath alive. Sasuke jumped up to the edge and his chakra could be seen coming off him in waves. He pulled his swords off his back and then, howling in rage, leapt feet first into the enclosure.

"What do we do? He's in there by himself." A lieutenant stated the obvious to Neji.

They couldn't see what was happening inside, only hear explosions and screaming. As streamers of fire shot up out of the bowl, Neji activated his Byakugan. He held his arms out. For now, Sasuke was okay. He wouldn't let anything happen to his lover, but he knew Sasuke needed this.

It went on for some time and the air stank with the coppery smell of blood and excrement and piss. Neji kept a constant eye inside the well of destruction, ready to send the remaining ninja into the fray. But finally, Sasuke's form appeared out of the earth just outside the walls he'd created. He turned toward the silent mound and with a few hand signs collapsed the walls towards the center, burying anything inside under tons of rock and dirt.

Then he dropped to the ground and fell to his back, screaming the rest of this rage to the sky until he had no voice left. Neji dismissed the troops and went to Sasuke's side. He picked up the openly crying ninja and took him home.

+++

At the end of the week, Neji gathered their family in the village square. As the new Hokage, there were things he needed, wanted to do. He studied the crowd before him and reckoned that every single person in the village had gathered together under the brilliant blue sky this afternoon.

He didn't step forward, setting himself apart from the family. Instead he picked up a child and stepped closer to Jomei.

I would like to introduce the Hokage's family. Sandaime's, Yondaime's, Tsunade's, Naruto's." He paused. "Mine."

He spread his arm to encompass the large group on the hastily constructed platform. It included Sasuke, Hinata, Tsunade and Gaara. It also included Jomei and the Sisters and seven other orphans who comprised their family. Each adult embraced or held one of Neji's and Sasuke's seven children.

"Look at us. See this group of adults, not a blood tie among us. Hyuuga, Uchiha, Uzumaki, the three strongest ninja families in the land, separated for generations by ego, avarice, ambition. And see the elite of Konoha, and the heirs of past Konoha Kages. See them embrace and call kin, those who were once our poor and downtrodden."

Tsunade reached for Jomei's hand. He took it and his siblings crowded around her legs.

"See the clans and the aristocracy now legally joined to the orphans of this village. See ninja and civilian alike with clasped hands." He grasped Jomei's other hand and brought it to his chest for several moments.

He pointed at Gaara, who was holding Naruto's baby. "See our family reach beyond Konoha's boundaries, embracing those from other lands, other cultures."

"We are building a new family, bound by blood, bound by law, bound by love. Naruto gave us that. Each of us took him into our hearts, our lives and we've been walking on an unshakable foundation ever since, knowing that our hands are held, our backs are protected, our hearts are safe.

"Naruto accepted all of us. He accepted all of you. He loved each and every person in this village. He saw worth and potential even in those who abused him. He saw his abusers grieve at the monument for those slain by Kyuubi and he understood. He wept for you and with you and protected you and finally he…" Neji's voice broke. His jaw worked several times and then he cleared his throat. "He died for you."

"If you couldn't accept him in life, accept his sacrifice for what it was; an act of pure untarnished love.

"My hope is that, whether you accepted him in life or not, you accept his sacrifice in the spirit it was given. Six days ago, though he was alone and scared..."

Here Neji had to stop again, the lump in his throat preventing him from speaking further. He looked over at Sasuke who had his head buried in his daughter's neck, his shoulders shaking with his sobs. Naruto's twins were holding each other and crying, both old enough to comprehend the grief around them if not the full meaning.

"Papa? Where's papa? We want our papa." They cried in unison. Several sobs could be heard from the crowd.

Neji swiped at the tears on his own cheeks and finally looked back to the crowd.

"He went willingly, gladly, so Kyuubi would steal no more husbands, no more fathers, mothers, or sons. He went in the name of family. His and yours. Ours.

"My final wish is to set aside a day on which we remember and honor our fallen leader, comrade, friend.

"There are two obvious days in Naruto's life that had the most significance to Konoha. The day of his birth, when he saved us from Kyuubi. And the day of his death, when he saved us from Kyuubi yet again.

"But Naruto would tell us that everyone is born and everyone dies and that both are easy. They are merely the endpoints. He would tell us that it is the journey that makes a life.

"Because of that, I'd like to choose a day that had the most significance to him. For Naruto, that day was August 6. It was the day that Uchiha Sasuke returned to Konoha. It was the day that Naruto's journey as a lover, a father and a family man began.

"We are his family. We ask that you look beyond blood ties, and class differences, beyond cultures and see each other as family. Join us."

Hyuuga Hiashi watched as one person after another approached different members of Naruto's family. "I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sorry for your loss." It was painful. It was meaningless. He felt the need to say something different. It might not ease any pain, it might even be unwelcome, but perhaps another perspective would give something else to think about tomorrow.

He moved to Sasuke and bowed.

"Such a glorious, miraculous life." He bowed his head again, a serene smile on his face.

"He's dead."

"That is very, very sad. He loved you more than anything else and I know what you created together was remarkable. Such a life…"

"He was twenty five."

"Yes. Younger than many. Older than many." Hiashi looked to the cloudless sky for a moment. "But is it not the quality of years, and not the quantity?" He got a misty look on his face. "Such a quality, worthwhile life."

A small group of men had gathered nearby, listening.

"There are many men, with twice or three times the years who would trade their whole lives for twenty five meaningful years." The men who had gathered all nodded and murmured in agreement.

"He brought peace and unity. He left a legacy of love. He leaves a family of beautiful children and people who will grieve. His love clings to you even now." He pointed to the children wrapped around Sasuke's legs. "He saved the world not once but twice. An entire world mourns his passing. Many men would covet such a life and death."

"This isn't about you."

"You are right." Hiashi bowed. "Your pain is unbearable now. But time will pass quickly." Hiashi moved closer and touched Neji's lilac eyed daughter's cheek. "So very quickly. One day they are beautiful babies, then you turn around and they are beautiful, remarkable women."

"Her name is Uzumaki Suki, and I love her more than my life." Sasuke stroked the tiny girl's hair. At hearing her name, she raised her head, smiled and pressed a sloppy kiss to his cheek, all without taking the thumb out of her mouth.

"She is an Uzumaki," Hiashi said.

"That was your choice, not Neji's," Sasuke said, sounding tired.

Sasuke nuzzled her face and sifted his fingers through her silky black hair, murmuring gentle syllables. Her lilac eyes crinkled as she smiled, then she dropped her head back to his shoulder, sucking loudly.

"She looks like Hinata at that age." Hiashi smiled sadly.

"Neji has commented on that." She raised her head again at hearing Hinata's name, then reached her free arm toward Hiashi. Sasuke paused only a moment and then held Suki out to him.

She went into his arms willingly and patted wet fingers on his cheeks, smiling brightly, four tiny white teeth sparkling. Then she held a finger out toward his eye. "Dada."

"I don't remember Hinata being this happy," Hiashi said quietly

"Neji has commented on that as well."

"To have a life with no regrets…" Hiashi whispered.

Gaara stepped up at that moment and handed the baby he was holding to Sasuke. The two month old was wrapped tightly in soft blankets and his eyes were bright and alert. His blond head peaked out and with the shiny golden curls and glittering sky blue eyes, he almost seemed to glow. Sasuke held him facing forward so he could see out into the world and then rested his cheek on the tiny scalp.

"Kazekage-sama," Hiashi bowed. "It is always an honor to see you. The world hails you as the finest of Kages."

Gaara nodded, immune to the litany of flattery that accompanied almost every greeting with others. "This one will surpass me." He indicated Neji. "He has a heart of peace and wisdom beyond his years."

"I regret that I had little to do with that. Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto are more responsible for the man he has become than I ever was. And a finer man I have never known."

"Hyuuga-san." Neji joined the small group. "Thank you for coming."

"Hokage-sama." Hiashi bowed to his nephew. Regret and longing filled him as he took in his estranged nephew's striking stature. He was surprised when his own mouth opened and he said, "Please tell me what it would take to have you call me 'uncle' once again."

Neji straightened his robes. Suki held her arms out to him and he took her.

"Pudding." He used the sleeve of the Hokage's robes to wipe a smear of drool off Suki's chin. "Five o'clock, Saturday, at our home."

Hiashi's face glowed. He bowed and reached his hand out to Hinata.

"Daughter, would you do me an honor and walk with me?" She took his arm and they turned to leave. "Perhaps," he said to her, "you could tell me about this thing called 'pudding?'"

Sasuke pressed his lips to Neji's cheek and whispered. "I'm happy for you."

"The miracle of his life continues."

+++

Two days after the ceremony, they learned that there was one more loose end in the world's quest for the demons.

Akatsuki materialized outside the gates, standing on top of the mound created by Sasuke's last battle with Konoha's enemies a week earlier.

Again, Sasuke donned his gear and went to the gate. He was so tired of this. He walked out alone and stood before the men, their red and black robes billowing in the breeze. As he reached them, he saw Kisame hovering balls of water around the group and Tobi holding a live vine, much as Naruto had years ago. The rest had their weapons and shields in place.

"We have come for retribution." Tobi held his hand out and opened his fist. He looked to be holding a pile of white dust.

"This is what is left of our years' long work to contain the demons. When you killed Kyuubi, the other eight demons vanished."

As he let the breeze take the dust from his palm, gasps and excited murmuring could be heard from the gates.

"This is why you should not have interfered. The demons are now gone and our years of hard work and our loss of life and all of our…"

"Shut the fuck up." Sasuke said. Then he turned away and started walking back toward the gate.

"Do not turn your back on us. We have come…"

Two giant slabs of rock shot up on either side of the Akatsuki members and slammed together in a loud crack. The Akatsuki members were crushed like maggots between two bricks. He ground the two slabs together several times for good measure, never looking back.

Naruto was right. Because it wasn't fire or electricity, they had not seen it coming.

As Sasuke walked, he shed his weapons and armor, leaving a trail from the slaughter to Neji, who stood at the gate, waiting.

When Sasuke got to him, he said, "I can't do this anymore. I'll never stop protecting you and the children, but I can't live it anymore."

Neji pulled him into his arms and they stood like that for several minutes, until Neji guided them back home.

+++

Hinata paused when she heard a knock at her door. After checking with her Byakugan, she opened the door to Shikamaru. When he held up a bottle of alcohol, she nodded and let him pass.

They sat on the floor, because her bed was taken up by her traveling bag and piles of her belongings.

They sat shoulder to shoulder leaning against her bed and drank in silence for a time. Shikamaru broke the silence.

"What you did for Naruto…" Shikamaru swallowed hard and took a stuttering breath.

"I did nothing for him in life. That I only managed to do something for him in death…"

They drifted into silence for a time. Shikamaru spoke again.

"I failed him. I failed everyone."

"You? How?"

"I was assigned the task of finding a solution to his demon problem. I had years and came up with nothing." He took another drink and stared at the floor. "He asked for my help and I let him down. I let everyone down."

"I'm sorry you feel that way." She took the bottle from his hand. "Because this was a dog and pony show all along."

"A dog and pony show?"

"Yes. Naruto had this day planned since he was twelve years old. Every day he woke up and made sure his plans to die were all in place. Jiraiya had been ready to kill him. The Hunters followed him around. Tsunade developed a pill in case there was no one around; kind of like an internal exploding tag."

"So why did he even ask?"

"He had to try. And he had to let everyone who felt it was important try. He wouldn't leave people with regrets if he could help it."

"Still, everyone thinks my value is my brain." Shikamaru wasn't ready to let it go. "I should have come up with a solution."

"You did. Several from what I hear. The demon is gone. All of them are. I don't think many problems have answers that please everyone. There probably was no solution that could get rid of the demon and keep Naruto here."

They both sipped some more.

She whispered. "Child of Prophecy."

"What?"

"Naruto was called the Child of Prophecy. According to Jiraiya and Tsunade, his life was going to mean a better world."

Shikamaru nodded. "It meant something here. Who would have ever thought the clans would join with each other. Or with the poor and homeless."

"Or that a Nara would seek out and comfort a Hyuuga," Hinata whispered.

"Don't leave."

"I can't do this anymore. If I stay, I don't know what I'll do."

"What will you do if you leave?"

"I don't know."

"Well, if you're not going to know either way, do it here." He set the bottle on the floor. "Where there are people who respect you and care about you."

Shikamaru came every day. Each day she was still there, but her bag was still sitting in the middle of the floor, clothing hanging out of it.

One day he arrived just as Hiashi was leaving. He was taken aback at the smiling face and hearty handshake from the elder Hyuuga, and watched bemused as the man walked down the porch outside Hinata's home, his gate sprightly.

"Everything okay?" He asked after he'd closed the door behind him.

She snorted softly. "Child of Prophecy."

At his raised eyebrows, she continued. "It seems that my father loves me."

He looked at her in surprise. "Yes," she said. 'I told him that I was considering a job as a waitress. He said something about Naruto and fluffy pink bunnies and told me he loved me."

Shikamaru came to stand in front of her. "What's not to love?"

She looked at him for several moments and then turned toward the window.

"The sun is shining. It has not shone in such a long time."

He studied her for a moment then put her bag in the middle of the bed.

"Shall we unpack this?"

She sighed and nodded. "Yeah."


	35. Chapter 35

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After this chapter is the next time skip.

"Neji…" Sasuke gasped. Neji closed his eyes and bit harder on the tendon at the juncture of Sasuke's neck and shoulder. This was the first sign of life he'd managed to pull from his partner since he'd started trying a week ago.

He'd watched Sasuke sleep on the couch for the last six weeks and wanted him to return to their bed desperately. They'd been sleeping apart for weeks now and Neji didn't know how much longer it would be before he himself gave in and moved the floor at the end of the couch, just so he wouldn't have to be alone anymore.

As Sasuke's breathing deepened, Neji kept the assault up and maneuvered them down the hall. He'd gotten them to within feet of the door when Sasuke stiffened. He stared at the door, fear on his face. Then he shook his head and pushed away, going back to the couch, turning his back toward the room.

Neji replayed the scene in his head and then it hit him. He sighed with relief. It was the room; the bedroom they'd shared with Naruto. Sasuke couldn't lay in that bed with Naruto's scent in the air, the memories of every hour, every minute saturating each item, every surface. This he could fix.

The next day he worked like a madman. When he was finished, the babies had their old room and their new room was now on the other side of the house. And it was as different as he could make it.

That night, he found Sasuke sitting on the couch taking his shirt off. Neji took him by the hand and pulled him to his feet.

"Come." Sasuke resisted until he realized that Neji was pulling him down the other hallway. When they reached what was the babies' room, he opened the door, expecting to find the baby and Suki tucked into their beds. Instead he found a room he'd never seen. The bed and all the furnishings were completely new and it was absolutely nothing like the room he'd shared with Naruto.

Sasuke turned to Neji. "You are a treasure beyond price."

"Come to bed with me? I know you are not resting well on the couch. A good night's sleep will be good for you."

Sasuke glanced back and forth between the couch and the new bed a couple of times and then nodded. Soon he was lying on his back next to Neji. They were both staring through the darkness at the ceiling.

"You've held up well." Sasuke's statement sounded like an accusation.

"He asked me…" Neji's voice was a quavering whisper, then he started again, stronger. "He asked me to stand up and hold things together until…"

Sasuke sighed. "Do you think he knew how much you loved him? What he was asking of you?"

"I don't know. Probably. Maybe not." Neji sighed. "It wouldn't have mattered. His back was against a wall. He was out of choices."

Sasuke turned onto his side to face Neji. "He was, wasn't he? I've been so angry at him for not staying. I kept thinking, if he only had the will that I had for him, he could have changed it." He smoothed a fold in the blanket. "But he wouldn't have left willingly, would he?"

"No. No man ever born has taken his responsibilities more seriously than Naruto. He would not have left his children," Neji said. "He truly had few options at the end. To make sure he took the demon with him. To make sure his family was going to be okay. To leave with dignity."

After a couple minutes of silence, Neji spoke again.

"He wouldn't have left you. He loved you so much. He lived and breathed for you." Neji tilted his head in Sasuke's direction. "In the end, that came to be true for both of us."

"I never did anything to deserve such a thing."

Neji shrugged. "I have questioned how I came to deserve such a miraculous life. I am the picture of mediocrity."

"Not to me."

Neji turned his head back to study the ceiling some more. After several minutes, he spoke again. "I'm afraid of life without him. He was the light in every corner of this house, of our lives. I don't want our children to grow up in darkness." He turned on his side as well.

"You and I are darkness. Uchiha and Hyuuga, raised in rigid, controlling homes… I feel lucky to have escaped and don't want that for our children."

"It won't be like that," Sasuke said. "We aren't him and I wouldn't try to be him, but we aren't them either. I've changed. You've changed." Sasuke wrapped a lock of Neji's hair around his finger. "He might have been the sunshine, but you are the heart and soul, the wisdom.

"It bothers me," Sasuke continued quietly. "He is the sunshine. You are the heart and soul. That leaves me as the…steel. I don't want to be that. Steel is cold."

"You have never been cold. I find you molten hot. You are the laughter and the wit and the intellect. Perhaps you are the steel, but steel is sharp and brilliant." Neji covered Sasuke's hand. "You challenge this family at every turn, making each of us strive for greater and greater heights." Neji squeezed his fingers. "I would not change you."

Sasuke rolled to his back. "I will strive to be that and more," he clutched his chest, "as this fucking pain goes away."

"Come rest on my shoulder," Neji said. "Let me hold you."

Sasuke put his head on Neji's shoulder and slept the night through.

The next morning, Sasuke woke to a sharp pain in his eye as a spear of bright sunlight poked through a crooked slat in the shades. He registered the usual morning clatter coming from the kitchen and while his body still felt heavy, it wasn't the absolute leaden feeling of the last weeks.

He put his hand up to the ray of sunshine and envisioned holding it in his fist. Then he closed his eyes and rubbed his face, imagining that he could feel its warmth as he smoothed it into his skin. Wanting more, he got up and went to the window and pulled the shade all the way up. The bedroom was flooded with bright light and warmth and then he heard his children laughing down the hall. He caught his breath as he felt the tiniest bubble of peace burst inside his chest.

Taking a deep breath, he donned his clothing and went to help Neji feed the children. To Sasuke, the light at the end of the tunnel was the barest of flickers, but it was there, nonetheless.

This caused the timer that Naruto had inadvertently place in Neji to began its countdown. 'Until…' Tick. 'Until…' Tick. 'Until…' Tick.

One morning shortly after Sasuke managed to get through the days more like a human and less like a zombie, he came into the kitchen to help with breakfast.

Neji turned to him, plates in hand, and said, "Hey, Sasuke. Will you tell Naruto…" Then he froze and Sasuke watched as his face fell. The plates clattered to the floor and Neji clutched at his chest. His breath came in short gasps and pain transformed his features. The he dropped to the floor and vomited over and over.

Sasuke vaulted over to him and held his head as heaves wracked his body. Blood mixed with the sick all over the floor as Neji convulsed on the broken china littering the kitchen.

Hinata showed up in the kitchen doorway moments later, having felt a colossal emotional upheaval from her Hyuuga relative. Sasuke held Neji's shaking body and yelled to her, "Get the children out of here." Within minutes they were alone in the house.

Sasuke held Neji as he raced through all of the stages of grief in a thirty six hour period. Neji hung limply in Sasuke's arms as he wailed and sobbed so hard that he had trouble breathing. Sasuke wept with him, tortured by Neji's agony.

Neji cried out Naruto's name and begged him to come back, negotiating with the gods for his return. Anything, he'd do anything if they would just give him back. Neji needed Naruto to live, to breathe. Without him he would die from the unbearable pain.

Then Neji's sobs turned to screaming and Sasuke had his hands full as Neji tried to beat the shit out of him. His fury was almost palpable and he swung wildly at any part of Sasuke he could reach.

"I hate him. How could he ask this of me?" He cursed Naruto and the things that Naruto had asked of him over the years.

Then he railed against Sasuke, "I hate you. Why were all the burdens mine to carry? Why did you get to fall apart? Why did I have to keep the family together?" When that didn't soothe him, he jerked free and heaved the kitchen table across the room. He was trying to pull the cabinets from the wall when Sasuke finally pinned him to the floor and held him until his writhing and thrashing and screaming finally ceased.

For a time, Neji lay limp on the floor. "It was all my fault," he muttered as guilt gained momentum sometime after the sun had set. "I kept his secrets. If I'd been more vocal perhaps we could have found an answer long ago. Instead I just listened and said nothing. I killed this family." He looked at Sasuke. "If I'd told you, you could have had seven years to find the answer instead of three days."

"Neji, I wouldn't have listened. I refused to see or hear any of it. Hell," he soothed, "I knew it all along. I just wouldn't believe it until it was too late." But Sasuke had traveled through that stage of grief and knew that Neji wasn't listening. So for now, he let him shoulder the entirety of the blame for Naruto's absence. Reason was not a part of the grieving process.

As the sun illuminated the morning sky, the lethargy of the guilt stage became more pronounced and depression took over. "Just leave me alone," Neji said, staring at the linoleum under his cheek. "What's the point of any of this anyway? Fate. You can't escape it. Naruto didn't believe in it. See where that got us?" Again, Sasuke didn't try to talk Neji into a better frame of mind. Neji had held it all in and held them all together for so long.

Sanity would return after this had run its course. Neji needed this, deserved to experience the full spectrum of his grief so that he could heal properly. Sasuke could give him this.

For hours Sasuke just stayed with Neji and was whatever he needed him to be. He was the strong arms for his fear, the punching bag for his anger, the steady heartbeat for the apathy.

Come late the second afternoon, when Neji was little more than a filthy, catatonic rag doll, Sasuke picked him up and took him to the bathroom. He stood him up and propped him against the wall. Then he pulled him into the shower and washed the blood and tears and vomit from his hair. When he had him clean and dry, he pushed Neji onto the toilet seat and worked on the cuts all over his body. He picked slivers from Neji's hands and arms and knees. A couple of slashes were bad enough to require stitches, but Neji didn't even blink as Sasuke pierced his skin over and over again, sewing flaps of flesh together.

Finally he tucked Neji in bed and just held him.

This had been horrible, but Sasuke felt better than he had in weeks. He found the same strength that Neji has shown for years. Neji had needed him and he found that having that purpose sustained him.

Sasuke wasn't worried about Neji. Having traveled this road once as a child and again these last weeks, he understood that it was part of a healing process. In fact, now that this had happened, he realized he should have been worried before, when Neji just moved through life with little difference between the days before Naruto's death and the days after.

The next afternoon, over two days later, Sasuke roused as he sensed Neji waking.

"Forgive me."

Sasuke ignored that. "How do you feel?"

"Like a train wreck."

Sasuke nodded. "About time."

They were silent for a time, and then Neji spoke. "I was thinking I'd spend a day or two with my uncle, if that's okay with you."

Sasuke just stroked his hair.

"I have some questions that I never asked about my father. I don't know why I never thought to ask before, but…," he shrugged on Sasuke's chest.

"Whatever you need. We'll be fine here."

Neji sat up and looked at Sasuke. "Will you?"

Sasuke leaned up enough to kiss Neji's jaw. "Yeah." He wrapped Neji's hair around his wrist. "I know it's been a long time coming, but I'm here for you now. You can count on me."

Neji's sigh was one of relief and he nodded.

"Neji," Sasuke brushed his lips over Neji's neck, "can I make you feel good?" He felt a tiny bubble of pleasure as Neji's breath caught. "Let me make the world go away for a while; for both of us. Let me take away our pain."

Neji lie back onto the bed and nodded. "Yes."

As Sasuke burned away their world, Neji sent a silent thank you to Naruto. The pain of his passing was horrific, and now he really understood and appreciated what Naruto had asked of him. For him and Sasuke, the ones left behind, having each other, and their family, would make all the difference.


	36. Chapter 36

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to post the remaining chapters tonight. I'm not sure if anyone is actually reading it so I don't see a point in prolonging it. If you are reading, thank you and I hope you enjoyed it.
> 
> Time Skip...

_**7 years later** _

Sasuke sat eating his lunch under the tree that had become his favorite place in the last few years. This tree was in, of all places, the new addition to the Konoha cemetery, but one would be hard pressed to recognize it as such.

Part of the attraction for Sasuke was the constant stream of people. The location had become the destination for pilgrimages from all over the world. As he chewed, he basked in a constant hum in his body that had been courtesy of Maro, his youngest son. These people, all the hundreds that came day and night, were his family.

It had all started four years ago. He'd been out tending the bright yellow daffodils he'd imported and then planted along the south wall of the family's property. Neji had been nearby swimming in a sea of paperwork.

Neji's oldest came running out. "Father, Dad. Keiko is drawing on the living room wall."

Both men raised their eyebrows; their children never misbehaved, well, except for the uncanny rivalry between Naruto's and Sasuke's oldest boys that occasionally ended up with bloody lips and black eyes.

They followed the boy into the house and stopped at the entrance to the living room. Sure enough, Keiko, ridiculously strong for a ten year old, had shoved all the furniture away from one wall and, brush in hand, was eyeing some preliminary strokes on the largest wall in the house. Keitaro, her twin sat sprawled on a tipped chair and was watching her with amusement.

They looked at what was the beginning of a…teacup? A tree? It became clear that the kid wasn't an artist.

"Keiko?" Sasuke asked.

She barely acknowledged them with a nod and went back to staring at the wall intently.

"Here," Keitaro said and waved them over to the pile of books and paper at his feet. He picked up a scroll and a schoolbook lying open to a page that had Naruto's picture on it. Sasuke took it and flipped it to read the cover, 'Kages of the World – A History.'

Then he looked at the scroll and it became clear. Keiko had started a family tree. But it was a disorganized start and she had quickly run out of room on several edges of the paper.

"She decided she needed something bigger," her brother snorted.

Neji moved to stand by her and they both studied the...tree? Sandwich?

"May I?" She looked up at him, bowed and handed him the brush.

He went to the far right side of the wall and wrote in a list, one below the next, spacing them to span the whole height, the names of all seven of their children. Then he stepped to the left a couple of feet and listed the names of Neji, Sasuke and Naruto.

"Of course!" She was clapping her hands and laughing. "I should have thought to start at that end."

Soon everyone was piled in the living room watching Neji draw. It didn't take long to realize that with three families, this could take on daunting proportions. Instead of branches, Neji and Keiko had a quick conference and opted for vines, but even so, the tangle was getting confusing.

Finally Sasuke's youngest son, a shy gentle boy, said, "What about colors?"

When everyone looked at him, Maro blushed and muttered, "I just thought if each had a different color…"

There was an outcry of delight.

'Of course!"

"Brilliant!"

"Great idea!"

Sasuke left the room and was back in a few minutes with some drop cloths and three buckets of colored ink; one red, one blue and one orange.

Several hours later, it was dark out and Neji had handed his brush to Sasuke so he could go fix food for everyone. Most of the wall had some ink on it. Sasuke's oldest had even gently and painstakingly helped the youngest children participate by guiding them into putting tiny colored hand prints on the wall.

Sasuke had smirked as he witnessed several latent Uchiha traits in the boy, the most prominent of which was his struggle to devise a method that wouldn't make a mess.

Finally, Keitaro had come to the rescue and put a fine layer of chakra over the children's hands. After they dipped and pressed their hands to the wall, he released the chakra and the ink fell neatly back into the buckets. Of course, he ruined it by swiping his finger through the orange and poking thumb sized dots on each of their foreheads.

But Sasuke marveled at the chakra control of the ten year old. He was sometimes afraid of the immense power he sensed moving below the surface of the blond children in his house. Such things made people into targets.

After some time, Sasuke began to get agitated. While the wall was a dizzying maze of red and blue vines, the orange was a couple of short streaks, stopping far to the right. He realized he knew nothing beyond the name of Naruto's father. He grabbed the children's school books and found they revealed nothing beyond that same reference.

Neji picked his way over the buckets and piles of paper and children and wrapped his arms around Sasuke from behind.

"I don't know anything." He shook his head in frustration. "Why don't I know anything? What will this mean to the children?"

He shot a look at Keitaro, who was standing in a corner with his arms crossed over his chest, staring at the short orange line, frowning.

"Hang on." Neji raised his sleeve and activated a special tattoo on the back of his forearm.

Five minutes later he answered a knock on the door. Tsunade stood on the other side, her brow arched.

"The emergency grandma button?" She propped her hands on her hips as she took in the absolute disarray of the room.

He pointed to Sasuke and Keitaro. After following the boy's gaze to the wall, she nodded and grinned. "I can fix this."

She was gone in a swirl and back soon after, Hyuuga Hiashi at her side.

"Hey, can you help me with this?" She nodded her head between Keitaro and the chair that was piled with lamps and a rolled up rug. She was holding several leather bound books and a dusty box.

He scrambled to make a place for her to sit and before he could move away, she dumped the pile into his arms.

"Let's see…" She ran her finger down the stack of leather volumes in the pile he held. "Probably…this one." And she slid one out from the middle and began flipping through the pages.

"These are from the Hokage's vault. The council has always felt it was important to keep impeccable records on this subject."

"Here." She turned the book to face him and poked at the pages.

His eyes widened and his smile lit the room. "Father! Dad! Look! Keiko!"

On that page and several preceding pages was a complete history and genealogy of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.

Sasuke hauled her into a hug and when he pressed her back into the chair, Neji was standing with two plates of onigiri and two cups of ginjo. He gave one each to Tsunade and Hiashi. "Get comfortable."

The ink swirled and the stories flew till dawn. There was a moment of astounded silence as the blue lines joined the red halfway down the wall to merge and become purple. Neji and Sasuke looked at each other with a new appreciation and several of the children realized that they were family by blood and not just by writ. Hiashi, who had mellowed and now spent every spare second with this family, just smiled serenely and nodded.

But it wasn't over yet. One day several weeks later the men noticed that Keiko was very quiet. After dinner, Sasuke and Neji found her staring at the creation that now covered twenty linear feet of wall. She was frowning.

"Do we have mothers?" Neither man knew exactly what to say. Each child had a different mother and none of the females were residents of Konoha.

With promises to talk about it more later, the family went to bed. But Neji was unable to sleep. He prowled the house all night and finally in the morning before he left for the Hokage's office, he told Sasuke, "Bring the children to my office at the end of the day."

When the family arrived, there was a small crowd of people around the conference table, including the old council, the new council and several local villagers.

"I'd like to call our meeting to order. Shikamaru?"

"Yes. First, I'd like to announce my resignation from Konoha council. Neji-san and Lee-San are considering several candidates and hope to make a selection soon.

"I am leaving that position to head a new project." He propped a board on an easel and flipped back the cover. There, in fancy lettering, was the title, 'Families of Konoha.' The word 'Konoha' was lightly scratched out and off to the side was written 'The World' with a question mark next to it.

Below that was a map of Konoha and, upon inspection, the attendees could see that the map had been altered with thick black lines. The cemetery was four times its current size.

"Hokage-sama has appointed a committee to develop a new park." Shikamaru bowed to Keiko. "Keiko has asked a pointed and relevant question. Her question takes her family outside Konoha's borders and suddenly their living family numbers in the hundreds, or, depending on one's perspective, perhaps thousands. When we all ask similar questions, we find the same is true for most of our families.

"Our esteemed elders," he nodded toward the previous council, "have pointed out that if we go back enough generations, we find that nearly all of Konoha…"

"The world," one interrupted.

Shikamaru nodded. "We find that nearly all the world was, at one time, closely related. Of course, we already know that Hyuuga and Uchiha are distant family.

"So, Hokage-sama believes it is a worthwhile endeavor, for simple aesthetics, as well as the fostering of peace and brotherhood, to explore this topic and develop a physical location where we can all see and touch our places in each other's lives."

Keiko gasped and squealed as she realized what was being said. "A giant family tree with all of Konoha?" She stood on her toes and quivered with excitement. "And more?"

"Exactly."


	37. Chapter 37

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only an epilogue remains after this chapter

Six months later, armed with tomes of family genealogies, actual construction began. It was mind boggling how family relations intertwined and would continue to intertwine in future generations. Already the names displayed were from every country on earth.

Indeed, it was a creative nightmare how to display the information in a coherent way and Neji found it fascinating as several of his most valued warriors discovered the creativity that made them the most skilled fighters served them just as well when armed with paper and ink. Their ideas were brilliant and he found himself struggling to restore a dwindling military presence.

The design had come down to a series of giant granite slabs arranged in an outer circle with the names of each Konoha family carved into the rock. This ring was followed by concentric rings, one inside the next, each smaller and smaller ring going farther back in time.

Still they struggled. Aesthetically it was intriguing. Theoretically, it was poignant. Practically, it was disappointing. The only way to actually find a name was to already know where it was, or barring that, wander around potentially for hours. A paper directory was added and finding a name became much easier, but still, it didn't display the connectedness that Neji and Shikamaru's committee envisioned.

Then one day, Sasuke's youngest son came to sit with him under the tree. Sasuke sensed he wanted to talk, but as always, was uncertain.

"It's nice here, isn't it?" Sasuke asked.

"I, uhm, have an idea." Maro picked at the grass in front of him. "Sort of."

"Tell me."

"Come with me?" Father and son walked to the giant slabs. The boy found his name and rubbed his finger over it, then moved to Sasuke's name and repeated the motion. He did the same for his mother's name and then moved to a different slab that held the names of his mother's relatives. He wandered around from slab to slab until finally he got to the center, which held the oldest names on record.

Then he returned to his father, did some hand signs that raised his father's brows, and then picked up a nearby stone, holding it until it glowed. He dug a hole with his heel, dropped the rock into it and covered it with dirt.

After wiping his hands on his shorts, he turned to his father. "Touch your name." Sasuke studied his son and then reached out an index finger to touch the letters of his name.

He gasped as, an instant later, a web of thin, glowing chakra strands zoomed from his name to every name the boy had touched. Maro hadn't gotten a fraction of the family, but enough that Sasuke could see an actual web of his connections to other slabs and his connection back in time to the beginning.

He was stunned. This was brilliant and very insightful for a nine year old boy. His heart swelled with pride.

"If you let go," the boy said, "it should stay for a couple of minutes. Enough time to move to another name. And you can touch any name in our family and create the same web."

His little face fell. "But the only way I can make it work is to stand here and keep the chakra flow through the earth. If I leave, it won't work."

Sasuke smiled. "I've got something to show you." He closed his eyes and drew on an old sage technique Naruto had shown him, a way to maintain chakra in a battle even if he was unconscious. The technique they'd used to sleep together at the end.

He made a couple of clones and infused each with enough chakra and consciousness that one could maintain the other back and forth, no matter where Sasuke was or even if he slept.

Maro was almost vibrating with excitement over his father's display of power. He looked up at him in awe and bowed. "Father, I am so…" He was too young to articulate the pride and longing he felt.

"Shall we show the others?"

The excitement over this brainchild was tumultuous. Everything became clear and many design details were redone. Getting chakra signatures to make it work took the creation of a whole new committee.

The only way to make it work for now was for Sasuke clones to meditate all day and night, everyday. They had expectations that Shikamaru would find a way to do this without Sage power eventually.

But for now, Sasuke had to learn to deal with an ever increasing awareness of each and every time a person touched their finger to a name to generate their family web.

He'd pretty much learned to ignore it and it hovered in the farthest recesses of his mind.

But word of the marvel had spread. Ever increasing numbers of people were coming to Konoha to see if their family was there. As this happened, another permanent committee was created to handle the addition of new names to the slabs.

Eventually, one of the elders asked why the memorial stones and individual tombs and gravesites couldn't be part of the chakra connections. Another committee and further renovations.

People were finding lost relatives, learning that the neighbor they didn't care for was actually family if you looked back or sideways far enough. They were learning exalting and humbling things about their own existences. Nearly every person that came to the park left at the side of a new family member or friend.

A committee was formed to send out invitations to the world to bring chakra signatures to the memorial. When the elders came, the connections increased exponentially.

Interestingly, those most reluctant were the wealthy and powerful. Early on, a feudal lord came to Konoha in a flashy procession with a large entourage. He was convinced he'd place his hands on the stones and the world would see his ancestry filled with kings and lords, as his father had told him.

What was learned was that three generations prior, his family was actually in service in the stables of the family of the boy that now tended his sheep. Research revealed that the role reversal was a result of murder and betrayal.

Ever since, the signatures of the most powerful were the hardest to obtain.

Neji knew that something remarkable was happening when, one day, his Anbu had hauled a struggling middle-aged thief into Konoha, instead of their usual 'behead now, ask questions later' methodology. They dragged him to the park and forced his hand to the entrance stone that searched the memorial for matching chakra signatures.

The struggling man froze when a glowing strand shot out and created a complicated web throughout the park.

"Wus zat?"

"Your family."

"Ain't got no family." He looked at them. "Do I?"

A few minutes later, several people showed up in front of them.

"What's going on? We felt someone touch our chakra." They were staring at the filthy bandit, now shivering in the middle of the guards.

"That looks like Uncle Ankoh," one newcomer whispered.

"More like that painting of Ankoh's father, Matsu," another said.

"Matsu-san?" The criminal cried out. "You know Matsu? Saitou Matsu?"

"Well, I'd never met him, but we know his son Ankoh."

"Ankoh," the man whispered, tears filling his eyes. "I remember Ankoh. He was my cousin. Died a long time ago. In the fire with Matsu-san." He swiped his running nose. "I was eight. Been by myself ever since."

"Then you're…you're…" A middle aged woman grabbed his hand and pulled him bodily to a granite slab by the east wall. She looked for a moment and then pointed to a spot on the wall.

The shivering, sniffling man stepped tentatively forward and then cried out, "That's me. That's my name, Matsumura Makoto." He laughed and touched it, then jumped back when the web shot out again.

He whispered, "That's me."

"We didn't know. We thought you died in that fire. Poor Ankoh. He didn't die and he was devastated by your death." She placed her hand on his shoulder. "That's what that asterisk means by your name," she said gently. "Deceased."

"I ain't deceased," he said with conviction. "I ain't."

Makoto was now a caretaker at the memorial and tended it more lovingly than anyone else on staff ever could.

One afternoon Sasuke answered a knock at the door. He tensed when a middle-aged man bowed and asked for Keiko. Neji appeared at the door with her, his arms crossed, wary as well.

The man bowed happily several times to her and said, "Nori-san said to see you."

He bowed a few more times and then dropped a large untidy stack of scrolls and books and loose papers into her arms. Then he backed away, bowing and smiling.

Keiko looked at the pile in her arms for several seconds and then burst into tears. Neji and Sasuke said together, "Keiko?"

"Father? Daddy?" She looked from one to the other, her chin quivering and tears streaming down her face.

"What is it?"

Then she sniffed and straightened. After wiping her cheek on her shoulder she bowed to Neji.

"Hokage-sama." His eyebrows climbed up his forehead. "I need a building."

Both men blinked at each other. "A building?"

She bowed again and held out the pile in her arms.

"How about a box?"

She harrumphed in impatience and said, "Follow me."

She led them to her room and slid the door open with her foot. The two men, admittedly, hadn't stepped foot into her room in a very long time. The last time they'd seen it, it was well on its way to becoming a preteen girl's no-man's land.

Both males' jaws dropped open when they saw that her room was nearly bursting with piles similar to what she held in her arms. They had to crane their necks just to find her bed.

It seemed that piles of family trees, memorabilia, mementos and other related things were pouring into Konoha for inclusion in the 'family project.' Keiko had demonstrated some ability that caused her to become the recipient of all of it.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry." Neji thought a moment. "There's a room on the third floor of the Hokage Tower that should hold all of this."

She shook her head in frustration and looked like she was going to cry again. "No." She inched her way around the room, considering and rejecting one teetering pile after another until her shoulders finally slumped and she dropped the bundle onto her bed.

Then she took their hands and led them out of her room.

After an hour, Neji sat shell-shocked on the porch. All twenty-seven, previously empty buildings on the property were packed full of neatly labeled scrolls, books, maps, portraits, letters, boxes, jewelry, garments, and coats of arms. Every imaginable type of family legacy was now in the possession of their precocious blond daughter.

"Sasuke, how do you think the population of Konoha would take a shift in purpose? Put our ninja business at a lower priority and dedicated the bulk of our resources to something completely different? What if we became a sort of…Alexandria?"

Sasuke shrugged. "A portion of the population has been moving in that direction anyway." He leaned back on his elbows and looked at the blue sky. "We do provide a security service for Leaf; we can't abandon it altogether. And honestly, if the number of visitors keeps increasing at the rate it has been, we probably ought to expand it, but maybe with a division that isn't so…deadly.

"But I don't want to see what we're doing here stop. The memorial and what it's becoming has done some amazing things."

He looked sideways at Neji. "Brotherhood is becoming more than a word here."

But Neji felt that the next step was an indication of a monumental shift in Konoha's existence and didn't want to make the decision alone. So he and the council put it to a vote. It was a landslide and construction on a massive library started shortly thereafter.

Konoha had been transforming itself ever since. Industries had formed around genealogy and tourism. Schools for language, genealogy, museum and library services, history, curatorial studies, landscaping, security and specialized chakra research had all cropped up.

And then the park transformed Sasuke in hidden, deeply personal way.

One day, Sasuke was just wandering around the grounds, and he heard two men nearby.

"So, we're related," a man with obviously fake hair and a round belly sounded displeased.

"Yes!" Another, reed thin man smiled happily, bowed and clasped the other man's hand.

The portly man was wiping his hand on his pants when their chakra web was activated around them after just having faded. Both looking surprised, they followed it into the next circle inward. Curious, Sasuke inched his way surreptitiously nearby; not many people from that circle were still alive.

When he got close enough, he saw the two men looking at a third man who sat in a wheelchair that was being pushed by a nurse.

"Marvelous! A miracle!" The old man was cackling in delight.

The two men approached the wheelchair and the thinner man smiled broadly and bowed. "We are family!"

The heavier man leaned to see the name under the ancient, knobby finger. "You're him?" At the old man's nod, he raised his brow. "You were a great general in the second war. I am named for you."

"The second war…" The expression on the old man's face was wistful. "Yes, I was there."

He cocked his head and his eyes got misty. "Lot of heroes made and lost in those years. It was all so…"

"Glorious?" the heavy man asked.

"Stupid!" A harsh look filled the ancient face. "It was stupid, young man. War is stupid."

"You should have seen it," he continued after a moment, the faraway look returning. "There was never a more terrified chunin. So scared my knees were knocking." He sighed wistfully. "Yep, if the Raikage hadn't swooped in when he did, I'd be worm food."

"A chunin?" The fat man sneered.

"Yep!" The old man's eyes sparkled and he laughed. "Only took me three tries."

"Tch." The fat man turned on his heel and stalked off.

The thin man bowed and dropped to one knee. "You've lived so long and seen so much. May I buy you tea and ask you to share some stories?"

"Why, yes." The old man nodded. "But first I was going to the library to see if they wanted to display this in the section on the second war." He pulled his lap blanket aside and winking shrewdly, opened a wooden box. Inside was more fruit salad than any one man ought to have.

The young man laughed with delight. "I am quite certain that they would."

"I was going to pass it along, but thought I'd give it to the library so the whole family could enjoy it." He cackled loudly and pointed to the man who could be seen stomping out the gates. He slapped his knee. "The whole family…"

"Great Grandfather, you honor us." He smiled. "The library and then some tea?"

"Yep. Nishi-chan, let's go."

"Yes, General." The nurse winked at Sasuke, who had gotten so caught up that he'd turned fully and had been listening openly.

This encounter had given Sasuke much to think about. He'd been ashamed of the name Uchiha, going so far as to name all the children Uzumaki. But he suddenly realized that Itachi was just a part of the warp and weft of his family. There was good and bad and one could fear it or love it, but it was there, nonetheless. It came to him that the history of Konoha was incomplete without the history of Uchiha.

So he emptied the family library and gathered all the things he'd put in storage and taken them to Keiko. She was ecstatic and dug in a drawer for the plans she'd made for the Uchiha display with hopes that someday there would be something to put in it.

Weeks later, she gave the family a guided tour of the newest display. Her insight gave him a long forgotten perspective of his family history. There were many heroes and a few villains interspersed with regular families. She had included humor and tragedy in a heartrending mosaic. It was humbling and awe inspiring.

During the tour, Sasuke's oldest boy said, "Father, I thought being an Uchiha was a bad thing."

Sasuke struggled for a response. "It's not…I just…and Itachi…"

The next day while the adults sipped tea after an unusually quiet dinner, during which Hiashi studied everyone in amusement, all seven children returned to the table. They'd obviously had a meeting.

"Why are we all Uzumaki?"

"Well, the main reason is that we wanted you all to have the same last name so that you would feel like siblings. We chose Uzumaki, because, at the time, I thought there should be no more Uchihas." Sasuke scratched his cheek. "Which seems kind of irrational now."

He leaned on his arms. "And there was a problem with the name Hyuuga."

"Which seems kind of irrational now," interrupted Hiashi.

The children fidgeted and Neji's oldest son finally said, "What if we want our names?"

"Wouldn't that leave three of you as Naruto's orphans?"

"Now we're all Naruto's orphans."

"Yeah, if one more person feels sorry for me for having no father when I have two…" Sasuke's oldest ground his fist into his palm. The other six all muttered in agreement.

"Whatever our name, what changes?" Keitaro asked, then answered, "Nothing. That's what."

"Children can often be wiser than adults." Hiashi smiled. "I remember a young man standing on my porch, yelling at me for the one and only time about, of all things, fluffy pink bunnies. Turned out to be the wisest man I've ever known"

Neji's oldest son bowed. "Naruto was special and we are awfully proud to be his kids. But you two are special, too and it would be sad if neither of you have any kids."

"The Uchiha name needs to go on because of what you made it, Father." Sasuke's youngest spoke up. "Our father is Uchiha Sasuke, hero many times over, strongest ninja in the world. We would be so proud to have your name."

"And our father is Hyuuga Neji, the greatest Kage the world has ever known. We would be proud to have your name."

They all looked at the three blonds. "Tch. Our father is Uzumaki Naruto. Don't even think about touching that."

+++

One night at dinner, after the park had been in existence for about two years, Sasuke suddenly clasped his heart and threw himself backward, toppling his chair.

"Sasuke!"

"The memorial. Now!"

The family transported themselves to the slab with their names on it. Neji held Sasuke up as his knees buckled. There before the stone, his finger on Naruto's name, stood…Naruto.

"Papa?" The youngest blond ran up to the newcomer.

A young man, who was the absolute image of Naruto, except for the lack of whisker marks, turned to the family.

"Hi." He rubbed the back of his neck and Sasuke fell to his knees.

"Hey, is he okay?" The broad shouldered boy rushed over and grasped one of Sasuke's arms.

"Naruto?" Sasuke gasped.

"Uhm, yeah. Do you know him?"

Neji left Sasuke's side and pulled the boy several feet away by his arm.

"Who are you?" Neji's voice was shaking.

A woman, who they'd missed previously, yanked Neji's arm, pulling him off the teenager.

"Leave him alone. What's wrong with you?"

Neji breathed deep. Then he bowed. "Forgive me. We'd like to start again. I am Hyuuga, Neji. This is my family."

He turned to the older boy to introduce himself and found him in a staring contest with Naruto's twins.

The woman was also staring at the blond children. She recovered more quickly and turned back to Neji.

"We are from Rock Country and we've heard about your amazing memorial. We had hoped to come and find information on my son's father. His name is Uzumaki Naruto."

The din from the children was immediate.

"Naruto?"

"Papa?"

"Is he our brother?"

Neji and the woman looked at each other.

"Can I invite you to our home? We can talk." She nodded and soon they were all crowded in the kitchen.

"Please forgive us,' Neji said. "We had no idea of your existence."

She laughed. "Neither does Naruto, I'm sure." She put her arm around her son. "First things first, though. We came looking for him. Perhaps you know where we can find him?"

Neji rubbed his forehead and took in the bleak look on Sasuke's face. "I'm sorry, but he died five years ago. We are his family."

"No!" The teenager cried out and covered his face.

"I'm sorry. Please forgive him. He's been agonizing for months about what he was going to say when they met."

Neji indicated a chair. "Naruto never said anything about another child, or…you." She sat. "And forgive me, but how old is he?"

"He's seventeen." Sasuke gasped as she added, "And I'm sure he never knew about us."

"Naruto was thirteen?" Sasuke grasped Neji's sleeve. " _Thirteen_?"

"Is that how old he was? I wondered." She smiled. "Explains a lot."

"Certainly you are under no obligation to us, but if you could share your story…"

"Sure. That's why we're here after all, though obviously, I wanted to share it with him."

She told them a story about how she was a prostitute at a house in Rock Country and how Naruto had wandered in, she suspected, to get out of the rain. The old man he was with was drinking and gaming and hadn't gotten a room for the night yet.

The owner told him if he wanted to stay, he had to pay. So he gave her some money and went to sit in a chair in the corner to wait out the storm.

She said that he had looked lonely and that she had felt sorry for him, so she pulled him to her room. She asked him what he wanted to do and he had shrugged and asked if she had a deck of cards or a shoji board.

They'd played and talked. She'd told him she'd left home because of issues with a stepfather. He'd told her she should go back home. He'd made her think about leaving her mother alone with such a creep.

"He was really sweet and I finally decided that since he'd paid, he might as well get the full service. I was only fifteen myself. I think it was his first time; he only lasted ten seconds."

"You got pregnant?"

"It's ironic. He had all these condoms in his pocket, said some pervert kept giving them to him. But I told him that prostitutes didn't get pregnant and not to worry about it." She shrugged. "Go figure."

"After I got pregnant, I went back home to my mother like he said I should. Turned out to be one of best things I've ever done. My mother really needed me. And, I really needed her.

"The second he was born, I knew who the father was. Not too many blonds like that, none in my life anyway.

"It was actually luck that I ever found out who he was. A few years later, reward posters started floating around with a picture on it. Damned if it wasn't him. Now I had a name to go with the face.

"Life took over for a while, but the last couple of years I've tried again to find him. My son has some unusual…traits and I thought if we could find his father, we could get answers. Then I heard about your magic walls…" She shrugged. "Here we are."

They talked long into the night and the family convinced the two to stay for a couple of weeks. They could tell the boy's power was equal to any other Uzumaki but living in a civilian village, he'd had no idea what it was and had, in fact, been afraid of it.

They tried to talk her into moving into one of the empty buildings on the property, but she said her family was in Rock Country. As a compromise she let them fix her a house and after they showed the boy some faster means of travel, they had been living about half the time in Rock and half in Leaf.

The boy came quite often by himself, fascinated by his siblings, starved for the male companionship of Neji and Sasuke, and craving the information he was gaining about his father. He'd been afraid of the power in him that had made him an oddity in a civilian village. Here in a hidden village, they were able to show him another side of himself.

But Sasuke didn't push him to become a ninja. He let his children find their own passions. He smiled when he thought of Keiko. She was arguably the strongest person on the planet but was destined to be a librarian.

So as Sasuke finished his lunch, he watched the webs come and go and intertwine. He watched family lines stretch sideways and forward and backward and he felt small. And it was a comfort. If he was a speck, so too were his problems. And Naruto's death and indeed his own death didn't seem as tragic. Because the webs that came and went were complete lines, unbroken by death or life.


	38. 10,000 Days and 10,000 More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue

Sasuke and Neji strolled through the grounds of the park. Even with the throngs of visitors, it was still quiet compared to the neighborhood that was once known as the Uchiha district, but had long since simply been known as home.

Not that Sasuke minded the noise. In fact, it was less now than it had been and he had mixed feelings about it. For decades he'd lived with the growing hum of his connection to the park as well as a swelling din as his family continued to balloon into gigantic proportions.

He remembered when Shikamaru, who'd finally joined the Nara family to his by way of Hinata, had come to him and told him he no longer needed to maintain the memorial's chakra via sage clones. Shikamaru had told him that he was certainly welcome to continue and added that there was something poetic about a warrior's sage clones maintaining the park.

At the time, he thought he could handle both for a while longer if the eighty thousand children in his family could, just occasionally, hold it down a bit. He'd decided to try speaking with them, got as far as the inhale before shouting his first sentence, decided 'screw it' and turned the clones off a week later.

He and Neji reached their names on the wall, always their first destination, and stopped to read the inscriptions that they'd memorized many years ago. He studied the absolute explosion of lines to the right of their children, eight since they'd included Naruto's oldest son.

He didn't know most of the names added after the grandchildren's generation. He scratched his cheek as he remembered his daughter taking him to task for not being able to remember the names of all the family and extended family packing the acres around his house. There were over 100 buildings since the wall between Hyuuga property and Uchiha property had been removed and they were all packed with a sea of humans.

If one considered his children, the Hyuugas, the Naras, and Jomei and the mountain of relatives that were descended from him and his siblings, Sasuke reckoned they could populate their own small country.

Hell, he could barely tell them apart. They all ran around in herds and were here and then there so fast. One day their faces were covered in Pablum, the next they were covered with whiskers. How was he supposed to keep track?

He remembered his affront as a child when an elderly relative would call him Itachi or Shisui or, gods forbid, 'boy.' Now he had nothing but sympathy for his recall-challenged ancestors.

He looked at Naruto's name and considered that he was getting closer to the day he'd see his dobe again, if the universe worked that way. He looked to the left at the complicated web of lines comprising their ancestors and wondered if it was as crowded and noisy there as his kitchen was most evenings.

No, he didn't feel any sadness over Naruto's absence anymore. As he looked at the names on the wall, he felt real sadness when he looked at Itachi's name. There the line just stopped. To him, that was the real tragedy.

Many years ago, Neji had found a paper trail that shed light on the circumstances around Konoha's council, Itachi and his family. Although he had this information, he was no closer to understanding it. There was no force, either mortal or divine that would make him hurt his family, although there were a couple of dark haired imps he wouldn't mind locking in a closet occasionally.

He supposed Itachi really had been mad.

No, he and Neji liked the park, for of all things, the anonymity. There had been three Hokages since Neji finally stepped down, although Neji had been the last ninja; all subsequent leaders being men and women of commerce.

Their times were over and he remembered the bemusement he'd felt when the realization had hit him.

He'd overheard a child-laden family listening to a map salesman telling what he knew about the park. One child said in a loud whisper, "Those two old guys are holding hands."

Plucky in their later years, Neji and Sasuke turned to face them.

"Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Neji at your service." Sasuke bowed.

The salesman's face lit up. "Hey, I know who you are." He flipped through his 'Highlights of Leaf' book and evidently, buried somewhere on page thirty seven was a paragraph with their names in it.

"Oh yeah. You're part of the three men who raised a family." Sasuke raised a brow at what this particular publisher found print-worthy. The salesman ran his finger down the page. "The other was…Uzumaki Naruto?"

The man looked thoughtful. "I know that name. He killed a demon. Or maybe a demon killed him. Something like that?"

"Something like that," Neji confirmed.

"My friend said there's no such things as demons," the boy said.

"Certainly there are none now," Sasuke agreed.

"She says parents made 'em up for kids who won't eat their broccoli or finish their math homework," the boy added knowingly.

Both Neji's and Sasuke's lips twitched. Evidently Kyuubi's dominion had included green vegetables and long division. Who knew?

"You're pretty old," the chatty young man continued. "You ever see a demon?"

"In fact, I did." While he'd never actually seen Kyuubi, he had seen Gaara's demon as a child.

The boy looked doubtful. "What did it look like?"

"Large." Sasuke nodded, recalling. "And sandy."

"And," he added, "I vaguely remember the time after the nine-tails destroyed most of Konoha and killed hundreds of people."

The boy looked around at the impeccably maintained buildings, the small children chasing butterflies and the general cleanliness and prosperity of the area around them.

When Neji led him away, Sasuke went with the clear impression that the boy thought he was an ancient old fart who hadn't brought his mind into his dotage with his body.

A swarm of children crashed around his and Neji's legs. Red heads? Who the hell did these children belong to?

"We found 'em at the wall just like you said," one screamed over his shoulder.

"It's dinner time," another smeared something yellow on his favorite walking robe.

"You promised a story later, Great Grandfather."

Musing that he couldn't have done since he'd never seen this child before, he and Neji turned and went bravely, like the trained ninja they were, into the slavering jaws of their family.

 +++

Author's note:

Constellations is now complete and I thank those who decided to persevere through a story with a major character death.

For anyone interested, there is a bit of a personal history to this story. Constellations became my 'therapy' after I was diagnosed with cancer. Each component of the story became what I needed it to be. The family had to include Sasuke, Naruto and Neji. The personalities of these characters live inside me and each was vital in the daily ups and downs as well as my interpersonal dealings. Depending on whether I was dealing with my children, my coworkers, my husband, or if I was alone, I could have been any of those three characters.

Of course, my exploration was about the death of a major character, an integral family member. And while I anticipate reviews telling me that I should have stopped the story at Naruto's death, the 70 years beyond were actually the most important to me. I had to write a story that showed that life went on, that happiness returned.

I welcome all reviews, but before you put your fingers to the keyboard to review this, or any, story, perhaps taking a moment to put yourself in the author's shoes wouldn't be a waste of time. My plot is my plot. It tells the story I need to tell. That goes for any author posting here. Grammar, spelling, ability to tell the tale...? Have at it. THAT is why we put these things up here.

Oh yeah, I am cancer free now. I am happy to chat with anyone who has questions on the disease from discovery to being cancer free. Feel free to contact me.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.


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